Durif “Winemakers Reserve” 2021 – Berton Vineyard

The fruits to produce the Durif Winemakers Reserve Berton Vineyard ware destemmed, crushed and fermented in static fermenters for five days 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.

Durif is a cross between Syrah and a 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.

Established by Bob and Cherie Berton in May 1996, Berton Vineyard is one of the most important wine producers in Australia. 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.