Description

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Established by Bob and Cherie Berton in May 1996, Berton Vineyard is one of Hallgarten’s most important partners. The estate covers 30 hectares of land located on gently rolling hills at 450 metres above sea level, in a subregion of Eden Valley in South Australia. The superb Reserve Shiraz and Reserve Chardonnay wines are still sourced from this plot. In 2007, Bob purchased the Yenda winery in the heart of the Riverina. This state-of- the-art facility has the capacity to process 20,000 tonnes and enables Berton Vineyard to produce value for money wines which sit alongside their premium single vineyard offerings.

THE VINTAGE:
A dry start to the season continued right through to harvest in most regions which resulted in little to no disease issues in the vineyard. Early season temperatures were mild until January saw extreme heat waves for most of Riverina and supplementary water was crucial in maintaining vine health and crop protection. Despite the season’s challenges, the wine quality in 2019 is excellent.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:
The Griffith area is internationally renowned for producing some of the best Botrytis affected wines. The fruit is left on the vine for a significantly longer time than other Semillon to encourage the growth of Botrytis, which desiccates the skin allowing the moisture to evaporate. The berries are harvested at optimum maturity. The vine age is varied, but all vines have been spur pruned and are generally trained on a single wire cordon trellising system. The soil types in the vineyards are varied, with each adding its own characteristic to the resulting wine.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS:
Harvested in early May, the sweet shrivelled fruit was left on skins overnight in a bag press to allow maximum flavour and sugar extraction before being pressed. The juice was then clarified and filtered before the start of fermentation. Fermentation lasted for four weeks and when half of the sugar had been converted to alcohol, fermentation was arrested by chilling to 3°C. Once clarified, the wine underwent 12 months oak maturation before being prepared for bottling.

OUR TASTING NOTES:
A luscious wine with intense and layered aromas of orange rind, apricot and honey. The vibrant palate delights with notes of apricot and almond biscotti which carry through to a beautifully balanced finish enhanced by toasted notes and subtle spice.

GRAPE VARIETY:
Semillon 100%.