Berton Reserve Chardonnay Eden Valley

Producer Note

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 sub-region 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.

Vineyard

Eden Valley is one of Australia’s premier cool climate wine regions renowned for its rugged beauty and distinctive elegant wines. The 2016 Reserve Chardonnay is a multi-vineyard blend from Eden Valley, with 60% of the fruit from the Berton High Eden Vineyard, which is approximately 500m above sea level. 40% of the fruit came from vineyards are a little lower in valley at approximately 400 metres elevation. The Berton High Eden vineyard possesses light brown soil, made up of sandy loam and a large amount of quartz gravel and rock fragments. Other Eden Valley vineyards range from grey to brown in colour, sand and clay loams with ironstone and quartz fragments.

Winemaking

The fruit was mechanically harvested at night to retain freshness. The grapes were de-stemmed, crushed and pressed via a bag press before cold settling in stainless steel tanks for 48 hours. After the juice was racked off, fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks using a carefully selected yeast. Approximately 40% was transferred to French oak barrels to complete fermentation. After fermentation, the wine remained on yeast lees for four weeks with regular stirring. It was then racked and received further oak maturation for six months, of which 40% was in new French oak barrels with the remainder on premium lightly toasted French oak staves in tank.

Tasting Note

This Reserve Chardonnay has generous aromas of soft white peach and nectarine, complemented by hints of nutmeg and cinnamon spice. The palate features soft fruit and fresh acidity which help to carry toasted oak and caramelized cashew notes through a long and pleasant finish..

Serving Suggestion

Enjoy chilled with seafood risotto or creamy chicken pasta dishes.

Grape

Chardonnay 100%