Foundstone Merlot

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

The age of the vines is varied. The vines are planted approximately 1.8 metres apart with 3.6 metres between the rows to allow machinery access. All vines have been spur pruned and are trellised on a single wire cordon. The loam to clay-loam soils have moderate to high fertility.

Winemaking

The parcels of fruit were fermented in stainless steel vertical fermenters at temperatures of 26 to 30°C on premium French toasted and untoasted oak. Fermentation lasted four to six days before being pressed at 1° Baume and was left to ferment through to dryness. The wine went through malolactic fermentation resulting in a softer expression and was then clarified. Maturation took place on American oak for a period of three months imparting subtle oak spice and complexity.

Tasting Note

This Merlot has a deep youthful colour with expressive aromas of plums, blueberries and violets complemented by a background of toasty oak. The palate has a velvety texture with generous flavours of plum, black cherry enveloped in rich roasted oak flavours.

Serving Suggestion

Perfect with flame seared beef or rich tomato based dishes.

Grape

Merlot 98%, Other Varieties 2%