A vineyard of some historical import, Bernoota is the original block, planted to the Follett family homestead along the banks of River Bremer, two decades before federation. A splendid construct of Langhorne Creek Shiraz Cabernet, selected from old vines around the distinguished Follett family vineyard, perennially released to resounding accolades. Bernoota is Lake Breeze's most highly awarded wine, amassing multi awards and gold in recent years, including the highly prestigious Royal Adelaide Max Schubert Trophy.
The Follett family vineyard was established in the 1880s by Arthur John Follett, great, great grandfather of today's winemaker. The site is surrounded by majestic river red gums which infuse the grapes with eucalypt characters. Lake Breeze selects only the best 25% of fruit from the older vines for its estate releases, a limited crush of only two hundred tonne. The old vines, which are dry grown, rely on winter flooding of the Bremer River, to carry the vines through the dry summer months, as Langhorne Creek receives very little rain. Bernoota is vinified on skins in open static fermenters for a week, followed by twenty months maturation in a combination of American and French oak barriques.
Deep scarlet colour. Bernoota shows dark fruit characters of blackberry and plum with a hint of spice, cigarbox and smoke. It's lifted aromas carry a heady whiff of exotic spice, leading on to a juicy palate underpinned by smooth, smoky vanilla/ coconut oak and firm, pliant tannins. This is an impressive wine with persistent dark berry characters and genial acids, seamlessly adjoined into a full bodied, complex wine of great poise and solid structure.
