Berton Vineyard Winemakers Reserve Durif (Petite Sirah)

Rich, ripe concentrated fruit bursting with varietal aromas of anise and blackberry combined with hints of violets, spice and chocolate.

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 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

Durif is a cross between Syrah and little known variety called Peloursin and is sometimes known as Petite Sirah. This parcel of Durif has been chosen from a single vineyard, the ‘Foleys Corner Vineyard’, which overlooks Griffith in the Riverina, New South Wales. Durif is well suited to the climate of the Riverina region, which is hot and dry. The vineyard is on a slope with a westerly aspect and the soil is sandy loam. The vineyard rows face east to west direction. The vines are on a single wire trellis, spur pruned and drip irrigated. The grapes are machine harvested once they have reached the optimum maturity level.

Winemaking

The fruit was de-stemmed, crushed and fermented in static fermenters for five days on premium French oak chips to optimise colour stability and tannin structure. The wine was drained, pressed and stored in stainless steel tanks until malolactic fermentation was complete. It was then filtered onto French oak and matured for approximately four months, giving a subtle and delicate oak influence. The wine was then filtered and bottled in November 2016.

Tasting Note

Deeply rich and inky purple in colour, this Durif shows rich, ripe concentrated fruit bursting with varietal aromas of anise and blackberry. Subtle hints of violet, spice and chocolate notes enhance the intensely fruit forward palate which is well structured with a satisfying finish.

Serving Suggestion

The perfect match with a barbecued T Bone steak or roasted lamb roast with all the trimmings.

Grape

Durif 98%, Shiraz 2%