Berton Vineyard High Eden Valley White Rock Chardonnay 2018
- 91
- $22
- Drink by: Now - 2025
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A handy Chardonnay from the Eden Valley. What’s not to like here – it’s textbook Chardonnay of the kind that many of us love:
1. pale and good looking
2. positive, sunny personality
3. good varietal intensity
4. there’s even potential for the future, and
5. it’s under $25 a bottle.
It’s definitely a cool climate Chardonnay from the Berton Vineyards which are 450 metres above sea level in the beautiful High Eden rocky sub-region, and owned by the Berton family since 1996. I always find their wines and winemaking honest and, importantly, they are keen to cover a whole range of price points.
It’s on display here with a wine that delivers on point. Stone fruits to the fore with nectarine and white peach. There’s a lemony zestiness that permeates the wine, bringing bounce and liveliness. Acidity is key but it’s not too intrusive. It keeps a step back and hums along.
Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.
