A SYDNEY University geology doctorate, a world-wide oil exploration career and chairmanship of a successful Australian mining and oil business - who would have thought these attainments would lead to a Hunter Valley Living Legend of Wine title?
That is the story of John Davis, a 41-year veteran of Hunter wine and owner and managing director of the Davis Wine Group, maker of the Pepper Tree, Briar Ridge, Tallavera Grove and Carillion wine brands.
Applauded by 380 guests at a presentation early this month, John joined Harry Tulloch and Graham Doran in being inducted as Living Legends of Wine for their pioneer work in Hunter viticulture.
It was John's second major wine honour: in 2019 he was declared the Australian Women in Wine Awards' champion of diversity and equality.
Son of an accountant, John grew up in Sydney, got a Sydney University first-class honours geology degree and from there won a Phd for his studies of sedimentary geology in BHP bores in Newcastle sea cliffs.
This brought an affection for the city, later strengthened when his daughter Melinda gained a Newcastle University medical degree and did a John Hunter Hospital internship.
From university John took up a career in oil exploration with Esso and then formed his own highly successful Canning Energy oil exploration and mining company with a geologist mate Terry Fern.
In 1982 John made his first wine investment by buying the Harry Tulloch-planted former Seppelt-owned Wine Country Drive Pokolbin Creek vineyard. Then in 1988 he tired of being desk-bound by public company's endless bureaucracy and sold his Canning stake to Terry Fern and bought Briar Ridge, the former Murray Robson Mount View vineyard.
Pokolbin Creek vineyard was ultimately sold, but John and his family now have vineyards in the Hunter, Orange, Wrattonbully and Coonawarra - 39ha at the Mount View Road, Mount View, Briar Ridge and 32-hectares at the beautiful Tallavera Grove vineyard with its scenic cellar door and classy Bistro Molines Restaurant, the 37-hectare Jokers Peak vineyard at Orange and in South Australia 99 hectares of vines at Stonefields at Wrattonbully and the 12-hectare Calcare vineyard at Coonawarra.
A second generation of Davises are making their presence felt in the Hunter-based, multi-regional family wine group, with daughter Jaclyn being owner and general manager of Briar Ridge and John's former Reserve Bank executive son Tim is owner and head vigneron of the Carillion operation.
WINE REVIEWS
PEPPER TREE PLEASER
NAMED for the Aboriginal word for Hunter River, this fine Pepper Tree 2017 Coquun Shiraz has 14% alcohol, deep purple hues, berry pastille scents and intense plum front-palate flavour. Cassis, briar, spice and savoury oak combine on the middle and the finish has dusty tannins. At Halls Road, Pokolbin, cellar door and peppertreewines.com.au.
PRICE: $90.
DRINK WITH: osso bucco.
AGEING: 10 years.
RATING: 5.5 stars
SPICY AGLIANICO RED
FROM a southern Italian-origin grape, this Orange Lovable Rogue 2021 Moon Child Aglianico has 14.2% alcohol, bright garnet hues, jelly bean aromas and spicy cherry front-palate flavour. Bramble jelly, plum, mint and mocha oak display on middle palate and chalky tannins at the finish. At Tallavera Grove cellar and carillionwines.com.au.
PRICE: $35.
DRINK WITH: coq au vin.
AGEING: five years.
RATING: 4.5 stars
MEMORIES OF SQUIRE
THIS Briar Ridge 2022 The Squire Chardonnay harks back to Murray Robson's original name from his Sydney Squire Shop menswear shop. The wine is green-tinted straw and honeysuckle-scented. The front palate shows crisp nectarine flavour, the middle melon, fig, flint and creamy oak and a steely acid finish. At briarridge.com.au and the winery.
PRICE: $27.
DRINK WITH: quiche.
AGEING: four years.
RATING: 4.5 stars
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