Berton Vineyard – Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Coonawarra – 2019-20

PRODUCER NOTE:
Established by Bob and Cherie Berton in May 1996. 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.

VINTAGE:
Coonawarra received good winter rains leading into the 2019 growing season, which highlighted the importance of the quality and quantity of underground water used to mitigate temperature and seasonal weather conditions In the vineyard a warm, dry summer provided a clean and disease free vintage with great ripening conditions across the region. There was no significant crop loss due to heat, and canopies remained in excellent condition through to the end of harvest; benefiting from the typically cool nights created by the proximity of the Southern Ocean.

VINEYARD:
The grapes come from two parcels of fruit within the same vineyard, in the prized Terra Rossa region of Coonawarra. One block is on a slightly more elevated area of the vineyard, which produces more subtle fruit characters. The warm days are moderated by off-shore breezes and the rich red loam over free draining limestone soil is the foundations for the Coonawarra’s justified reputation for producing premium quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

WINEMAKING:
The grapes were fermented in rotary vinmatic fermenters for 10 days between 26°C and 30°C on premium French oak until dry. Each parcel of wine was then pressed at 0.5 Baumé through a bag press into stainless steel storage tanks, where the wine went through malolactic conversion. The parcels were then clarified by centrifuge and transferred into new and old French and American oak barrels for 14 months. Only the best parcels were barrel selected and carefully blended.

TASTING NOTE:
The Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet has an impenetrable black colour with a vibrant garnet hue. The aromas are powerful and complex with a wealth of ripe blackcurrant with hints of tobacco and choc mint. The rich and harmonious palate displays abundant flavours of blackberry and dark cherry, underpinned by subtle toasty oak and defined by a soft yet dense tannin profile.

GRAPE:
Cabernet Sauvignon 100%.

COUNTRY:
Australia

REGION:
South Australia

SUB-REGION:
Coonawarra