Berton Vineyard Winemakers Reserve Riverina Viognier 2019

Berton Vineyard Winemakers Reserve Riverina Viognier 2019

A fresh and spicy wine with zesty aromas of grapefruit and peach, complemented by floral nuances of jasmine.

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

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 South East Australia and supplementary water was crucial in maintaining vine health and crop protection. Despite the season’s challenges, the wine quality in 2019 is excellent, especially for the Viognier which maintained lovely, crisp acidity despite the hot conditions.

Vineyard

The grapes come from Riverina vineyards surrounding the townships of Griffith and Yenda. The vines are grown in a warm continental climate with mostly dry ripening periods, which provide excellent conditions for grape cultivation. Deep, fertile loam soils provide a great base for healthy vines and grapes with abundance of flavour. Efficient irrigation methods supply water from the Murrumbidgee River in gravity fed channel systems. The Viognier blocks are set up on a double wire trellis, allowing good air penetration and bunch distribution, whilst providing protection from sunburn. This system also allows good machinery and manual access during pruning, spraying and harvest.

Winemaking

As ripeness was achieved the Riverina Viognier grapes were harvested in the cool of the night to retain freshness and minimise oxidation. The fruit was crushed, destemmed and chilled to the bag presses. After a gentle pressing the juice was clarified before a slow fermentation at cool temperatures of 14 to 16°C using a carefully selected yeast to optimise lush, varietal flavours. The wine then underwent six to eight week maturation on yeast lees which built mid palate weight and optimised the expression of soft creamy notes. The Viognier was then blended, filtered and bottled.

Tasting Note

Fresh and lifted aromas of peach are complemented by floral nuances of jasmine and orange blossom. Flavours intensify on the palate with soft fleshy mandarin and marmalade fruit coming to the fore. The wine finishes with moderate length and hints of apple and spice.

Grape

Viognier 100%