2017 Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon, Gordon + Bitner Block
94 points - James Halliday Wine Awards 2021 90 points (Silver Medal) - James Halliday Cabernet Challenge (AU) 2021
Tasting Notes
Deep purple-red in colour. Enticing aromas of cassis, violet, and blueberry are embellished with a perfumed talcum powder overtone. The classic Cabernet flavors of cassis and blueberry flow through the palate, focused and defined into the lingering finish by fine structural elements of tannin and oak. A medium-to-full-bodied, intensely varietal McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon with elegance, harmony, texture, and length that eloquently expresses the synergy of the old Reynella clone vines and their terroir.
Winemaking
Gentle hand working of the skins in small, 5 tonne open fermenters and traditional winemaking practices protect and nurture the unique qualities of the terroir. Very fine-grained French oak hogsheads are used to allow a long, slow maturation of the wine and subtle oak integration. A combination of new and 1-5 year-old oak barrels, crafted by select coopers to our requirements, are used to create nuances and diversity of flavour. When maturation & oak integration are perfect, individual barrels are selected and blended to create this intensely varietal McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: McLaren Vale, South Australia
Vineyard: Gordon & Bitner Block, Davey Estate
Alcohol: 14.2%
pH: 3.62
Total Acidity: 6.3g/L
2018 Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon, Gordon + Bitner Block
Tasting Notes
This Cabernet Sauvignon is dense purple-red in color. Fragrant cassis aromas with nuances of mint chocolate, olive, and graphite. Blackberry and blueberry flavours flow through the medium to full-bodied palate, balanced harmoniously with fine-grained tannins and integrated notes of French oak. A contemporary McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon that expresses the synergy of this noble variety, the terroir, and my personal winemaking philosophy.
Winemaking
Two great McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon blocks combine harmoniously; one, a Reynella clone planted east-west in 1982 on loam and the other, a CW44 clone planted north-south in 1999 on red clay. Gentle cap management, through traditional open fermentation, protects and nurtures the unique qualities of the terroir. Very fine-grained French oak hogsheads are used to allow a long, slow maturation of the wine and subtle oak integration. A combination of new and 1-6 year-old oak barrels, crafted by select coopers to our requirements are used to create nuances and diversity of flavor.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: McLaren Vale, South Australia
Vineyard: Gordon & Bitner Block, Davey Estate
Alcohol: 14.3%
pH: 3.64
Total Acidity: 7.1 g/L
2019 Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon, Gordon + Bitner Block
Tasting Notes
Deep, ripe blackberry flavors create a complex and harmonious balance of long, slow maturation and oak integration.
Davey Browne represents the culmination of a long enduring friendship between noted Australian wine luminary Kym Davey, who has a passion for motorbikes, and American wine entrepreneur Andrew Browne, an avid fly fishing enthusiast. These rich, handcrafted McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignons are sourced from the finest fruit of the prestigious Gordon and Bitner block, named in honor of Kym and Andrew’s grandfathers, in the Davey Estate vineyard.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Bahwm and I take great pride in presenting thorough, informative reports, and would be happy to provide one tonight, but unfortunately, the wine hasn’t been delivered. We were given tracking info Tuesday that said the delivery was scheduled between 12:30 and 4:30 on the 27th. Midmorning on the 27th, after we had structured our day to make sure to be available to sign for the delivery, the tracking info was changed to between 2:30 and 6:30. At 6:30, the shipment still hadn’t arrived, and we had to be somewhere else, so we’re still waiting. The latest tracking info now says delivery will happen between 9:30 and 12:30 on the 28th. We’ll see. Meanwhile, you have our positive assurance that we’ll find a way to provide a suitable review as soon as humanly possible. Thanks for your patience.
In a unique twist, this bottle arrived yesterday before I got my Lab Rat email from Alice! I sent a quick email to her and she confirmed this was for today. Unfortunately, I think this thing was sitting on the Brown truck all weekend because when I opened it up and took it out of the box I noticed it was pretty warm. No big deal, I put it in the wine chiller to simmer down.
While this thing was chilling down I wondered to myself if I’ve ever tried any Australian wines? I cannot recall that I have.
Second thing I noticed is that this bottle is big! Texas sized, almost as big as one of those 1L Caymus bottles they sell at Costco. Had to take a neighboring bottle out of the chiller to get this one to fit. It has a handsome label and a nice description on the back.
When removing the cork, it seemed a bit brittle. Dark purple stain on the end, almost black.
Pouring into a stemless Casemates glass revealed a dark purple wine with a slight red tinge. It almost looks viscous pouring into the glass. I always like wines that look like this.
The nose is pretty faint. A bit of the alcohol (bottle says 14%), a little graphite, an herbal note and a fruity note. The herbs reminded me a bit of fresh oregano and the fruit fresh blackberries. A nice nose.
Now for the good part, the tasting. This is a full bodied Cab that tastes pretty similar to the nose. It is slightly acidic with berries, fresh oregano with a hint of graphite on the back end. You can feel the tannins in your mouth. Long finish.
As the night went on the wine opened up a bit and the berries seemed to pop forward over the oregano and graphite. I paired this with some leftover smoked Dino ribs and pasta salad. It paired quite well with the meal, big enough for the short ribs and delicate enough for the pasta salad.
I think this is a great wine at this price point. Definitely something I could drink more of. I enjoyed this and I think it would also make a nice gift bottle. Upon searching it’s a $50 bottle elsewhere, so at this price you’re getting a case (although it is a vertical) for the price of a 3-pack. Good QPR.
Thanks Alice and the Casemates team for letting me rat once again!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical - $30 = 16.66%
I’ve already posted an explanation for the tardiness of this report. I won’t bore you with further details; suffice it to say it got worse. We did finally receive the shipment, a bottle of 2017 Davey and Browne Cabernet Sauvignon, and the good news is that it was worth the wait. My first thought was that we don’t see a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia. Back in the 90s, we drank a lot of Cab/Shiraz blends, and found many of them to be enjoyable and pretty versatile, as well as very reasonably priced. This Cabernet is a decidedly different kind of wine. We decided on one of our favorite meals: roasted beef short ribs with mashed potatoes and green beans, and pulled the cork in plenty of time to give the wine a chance to breathe, as well as settle down after a day and a half of being bounced around in a delivery truck. Immediately, I was rewarded with a bouquet of cassis and black cherries, and no perceptible heat. More of the same on the palate, and I found myself really looking forward to having this with dinner. As expected, this wine had plenty of muscle to match the abundant flavor and fat of the short ribs. After some breathing time, it had opened up nicely, the tannins had softened, and it was ready to show off. As we had hoped, it worked perfectly with the meal, just what one hopes for with a big, bold Cabernet. Despite having all day to search, I hadn’t even glanced at the price, either at retail, or here on Casemates, and I thought this was easily a $30 bottle. According to Casemates, the MSRP is $40/ bottle, so the Casemates price of $15 in the half case, and $12.50 if you can spring for a whole case (and I strongly recommend you do so), is another of WD’s screaming deals.
I’m sorry, I forgot to mention that after a few more hours of resting on our dining room table while we were at church, the wine had smoothed out even more, and unlike many Cabs, had turned into a nice sipping wine. So if you’re looking for a wine that’s sensational with a rich beef dinner, as well as on its own, this one’s for you.
OK kiddies! Here we go! The 2017 Davey & Browne McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon FINALLY made it to our house! The great gods who control all things with the brown trucks kept changing delivery times—even today! ddeuddeg had to go out in the morning and so, upon seeing the most recent change in delivery time that would conflict with another commitment that we both had for the day, I called and managed to break through to someone who seemed like, maybe, he could make things work. Persistence, my friends, persistence!
This wine was well-worth the wait and persistence to get it delivered so that we could fulfill our Lab Rat duties today! Let me preface this by sharing that a week ago I had some oral surgery and have been on a soft diet with little wine. I’ve just been getting back to solid food and serious wine these last few days. Oh, the glory!
Upon opening the bottle that had been jostled around the potholed city of Buffalo in a big brown truck for the past day and a half, ddeuddeg poured us each a tasting portion. I gave my glass a swirl, but my nose (which played a role in my oral surgery) could not get much in the way of bouquet. The wine seemed to be really tight for a wine of its age. So, I swirled it more vigorously. Still not much. Sorry. Please keep in mind that my mouth is currently very sensitive to alcohol when it is first introduced. To me, seemed to be very high in alcohol content. (I did not look at the bottle, past reviews, or Casemates info). Later, I found that it is only 14% alcohol. Nice! I had to wait for the second sip to get my taste working. And, wow! There was a big, bold explosion of red and black berry flavors! I had to pause and sit and enjoy the long finish! And then, came the more rounded nature of this wine.
We let the wine sit and open for at least forty-five minutes before dinner. It definitely opened up and rounded out during that time. See ddeuddeg’s report for dinner details. The beef short ribs provided just the right amount of fat to make this wine sing! It was the perfect complement to the meal. I really feel that this wine, at its current age, is a food wine. I’m sure that it will continue to develop as it ages. Buy now and don’t hesitate to hide it away! This is a great price for a quality wine!
For the record, bahwm and I try very hard to avoid sharing our thoughts on the wine we’ve been sent for review until after we’ve posted our comments. I was amazed at the number of times we had identical observations here, much more than usual.
2017 Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon, Gordon + Bitner Block
94 points - James Halliday Wine Awards 2021
90 points (Silver Medal) - James Halliday Cabernet Challenge (AU) 2021
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Specs
2018 Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon, Gordon + Bitner Block
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Specs
2019 Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon, Gordon + Bitner Block
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $480/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jun 16 - Tuesday, Jun 17
Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical
6 bottles for $89.99 $15/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $149.99 $12.50/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon
2018 Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon
2019 Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon
Previous offer:
3/20/24
Bahwm and I take great pride in presenting thorough, informative reports, and would be happy to provide one tonight, but unfortunately, the wine hasn’t been delivered. We were given tracking info Tuesday that said the delivery was scheduled between 12:30 and 4:30 on the 27th. Midmorning on the 27th, after we had structured our day to make sure to be available to sign for the delivery, the tracking info was changed to between 2:30 and 6:30. At 6:30, the shipment still hadn’t arrived, and we had to be somewhere else, so we’re still waiting. The latest tracking info now says delivery will happen between 9:30 and 12:30 on the 28th. We’ll see. Meanwhile, you have our positive assurance that we’ll find a way to provide a suitable review as soon as humanly possible. Thanks for your patience.
2018 Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon Gordon + Bitner Block McLaren Vale
In a unique twist, this bottle arrived yesterday before I got my Lab Rat email from Alice! I sent a quick email to her and she confirmed this was for today. Unfortunately, I think this thing was sitting on the Brown truck all weekend because when I opened it up and took it out of the box I noticed it was pretty warm. No big deal, I put it in the wine chiller to simmer down.
While this thing was chilling down I wondered to myself if I’ve ever tried any Australian wines? I cannot recall that I have.
Second thing I noticed is that this bottle is big! Texas sized, almost as big as one of those 1L Caymus bottles they sell at Costco. Had to take a neighboring bottle out of the chiller to get this one to fit. It has a handsome label and a nice description on the back.
When removing the cork, it seemed a bit brittle. Dark purple stain on the end, almost black.
Pouring into a stemless Casemates glass revealed a dark purple wine with a slight red tinge. It almost looks viscous pouring into the glass. I always like wines that look like this.
The nose is pretty faint. A bit of the alcohol (bottle says 14%), a little graphite, an herbal note and a fruity note. The herbs reminded me a bit of fresh oregano and the fruit fresh blackberries. A nice nose.
Now for the good part, the tasting. This is a full bodied Cab that tastes pretty similar to the nose. It is slightly acidic with berries, fresh oregano with a hint of graphite on the back end. You can feel the tannins in your mouth. Long finish.
As the night went on the wine opened up a bit and the berries seemed to pop forward over the oregano and graphite. I paired this with some leftover smoked Dino ribs and pasta salad. It paired quite well with the meal, big enough for the short ribs and delicate enough for the pasta salad.
I think this is a great wine at this price point. Definitely something I could drink more of. I enjoyed this and I think it would also make a nice gift bottle. Upon searching it’s a $50 bottle elsewhere, so at this price you’re getting a case (although it is a vertical) for the price of a 3-pack. Good QPR.
Thanks Alice and the Casemates team for letting me rat once again!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Davey & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical - $30 = 16.66%
I’ve already posted an explanation for the tardiness of this report. I won’t bore you with further details; suffice it to say it got worse. We did finally receive the shipment, a bottle of 2017 Davey and Browne Cabernet Sauvignon, and the good news is that it was worth the wait. My first thought was that we don’t see a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia. Back in the 90s, we drank a lot of Cab/Shiraz blends, and found many of them to be enjoyable and pretty versatile, as well as very reasonably priced. This Cabernet is a decidedly different kind of wine. We decided on one of our favorite meals: roasted beef short ribs with mashed potatoes and green beans, and pulled the cork in plenty of time to give the wine a chance to breathe, as well as settle down after a day and a half of being bounced around in a delivery truck. Immediately, I was rewarded with a bouquet of cassis and black cherries, and no perceptible heat. More of the same on the palate, and I found myself really looking forward to having this with dinner. As expected, this wine had plenty of muscle to match the abundant flavor and fat of the short ribs. After some breathing time, it had opened up nicely, the tannins had softened, and it was ready to show off. As we had hoped, it worked perfectly with the meal, just what one hopes for with a big, bold Cabernet. Despite having all day to search, I hadn’t even glanced at the price, either at retail, or here on Casemates, and I thought this was easily a $30 bottle. According to Casemates, the MSRP is $40/ bottle, so the Casemates price of $15 in the half case, and $12.50 if you can spring for a whole case (and I strongly recommend you do so), is another of WD’s screaming deals.
I’m sorry, I forgot to mention that after a few more hours of resting on our dining room table while we were at church, the wine had smoothed out even more, and unlike many Cabs, had turned into a nice sipping wine. So if you’re looking for a wine that’s sensational with a rich beef dinner, as well as on its own, this one’s for you.
@ddeuddeg Gosh the 2018 I reviewed was almost the same as your review. Consistent!
OK kiddies! Here we go! The 2017 Davey & Browne McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon FINALLY made it to our house! The great gods who control all things with the brown trucks kept changing delivery times—even today! ddeuddeg had to go out in the morning and so, upon seeing the most recent change in delivery time that would conflict with another commitment that we both had for the day, I called and managed to break through to someone who seemed like, maybe, he could make things work. Persistence, my friends, persistence!
This wine was well-worth the wait and persistence to get it delivered so that we could fulfill our Lab Rat duties today! Let me preface this by sharing that a week ago I had some oral surgery and have been on a soft diet with little wine. I’ve just been getting back to solid food and serious wine these last few days. Oh, the glory!
Upon opening the bottle that had been jostled around the potholed city of Buffalo in a big brown truck for the past day and a half, ddeuddeg poured us each a tasting portion. I gave my glass a swirl, but my nose (which played a role in my oral surgery) could not get much in the way of bouquet. The wine seemed to be really tight for a wine of its age. So, I swirled it more vigorously. Still not much. Sorry. Please keep in mind that my mouth is currently very sensitive to alcohol when it is first introduced. To me, seemed to be very high in alcohol content. (I did not look at the bottle, past reviews, or Casemates info). Later, I found that it is only 14% alcohol. Nice! I had to wait for the second sip to get my taste working. And, wow! There was a big, bold explosion of red and black berry flavors! I had to pause and sit and enjoy the long finish! And then, came the more rounded nature of this wine.
We let the wine sit and open for at least forty-five minutes before dinner. It definitely opened up and rounded out during that time. See ddeuddeg’s report for dinner details. The beef short ribs provided just the right amount of fat to make this wine sing! It was the perfect complement to the meal. I really feel that this wine, at its current age, is a food wine. I’m sure that it will continue to develop as it ages. Buy now and don’t hesitate to hide it away! This is a great price for a quality wine!
For the record, bahwm and I try very hard to avoid sharing our thoughts on the wine we’ve been sent for review until after we’ve posted our comments. I was amazed at the number of times we had identical observations here, much more than usual.