Berton Viognier

A fresh, creamy Viognier with aromas of nectarine and peach
complemented by floral nuances of jasmine, orange blossom
and a hint of ginger on the finish.
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.
Vineyard
The Viognier grapes come from the Foleys Corner vineyard site, planted by Joe and Frank
Sergi – who have been supplying fruit to Berton Vineyards for nearly 20 years. The Riverina
is a pioneering wine area established in the late 1800s but began thriving in the post World
War Two era when many Italians migrated and started setting up small vineyards. Back
then, many international varieties such as Merlot, Chardonnay and Shiraz were planted.
Viognier was planted in 2006 and remains one of the few plantings of this variety in the
area. This vineyard is planted with Ramsey rootstock, on a single wire trellis with vines
spaced 1.8m apart, allowing for mechanical harvesting to retain the quality of the fruit.
The vines are drip irrigation if required. Berton Vineyards is part of the Sustainable
Winegrowers of Australia and promotes sustainable cultivation in its vineyards.
Winemaking
The fruit was harvested in the cool of the night, crushed, destemmed, chilled and
transferred to the bag presses. After a gentle pressing the juice was clarified before a slow
fermentation at temperatures of 14 to 16°C using a selected yeast to optimise aromatics,
and lush mouthfeel. After fermentation, the wine was left on yeast lees for a short period
and stirred regularly. The wine was fermented in stainless steel and after fermentation the
parcels spent a short time sur lie, which helped to build mid palate weight and imparted
the soft, creamy texture.
Tasting Note
Fresh aromas of nectarine and peach are complemented by floral nuances of jasmine
and orange blossom. Soft and creamy, with refreshing mandarin notes though to a long
finish with delicious hints of ginger and spice.
Grapes
Viognier 100%