Berton Vineyard – Rose ‘Foundstone’ – 2022-23

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:
The 2021-22 season was a perfect contrast with the previous one. While summer 2019- 20 was the second hottest on record, 2021-22 was the coolest in 10 years, due to the influence of a La Niña climate pattern. The cool ripening period led to an elevated natural acidity and good flavour development throughout the red varieties. In most vineyards, crop size was slightly bigger than 2020 across South Eastern Australia.

VINEYARD:
The vine age is varied, but all vines have been spur pruned and are generally trained on a single wire cordon trellising system. The vines are planted at approximately 1.8 metres apart with 3.6 metres between the rows, to allow machinery access. The soil styles in the vineyards are varied, ranging loam to clay-loam in texture with moderate to high fertility, with each terroir adding its own characteristic to the final wine.

WINEMAKING:
Made predominantly from a blend of Riverina Barbera along with Coonawarra Cabernet and Shiraz. The three parcels were vinified slightly differently and fermented separately. The Barbera was picked and pressed immediately to minimise colour pick up; while the Coonawarra must was drained off prior to crushing. The parcels were fermented at 14 to 16°C, filtered immediately and stored in stainless steel tanks until bottling, in order to retain the vibrancy of fruit.

TASTING NOTE:
Pale salmon in colour with bronze hues this rosé displays aromas of raspberry and strawberry with subtle nuances of rose petal. Fruit flavours of pomegranate, pink-lady apple and cranberry all feature in a palate driven by lively acidity, through to a refreshing finish.

GRAPE:
Barbera 56%, Cabernet Sauvignon 28%, Shiraz 11%, Ruby Cabernet 4%, Other Varieties 1%.

COUNTRY:
Australia

REGION:
South Eastern Australia

SUB-REGION:
South Eastern Australia