Bannockburn’s Chardonnay has a track record most Victorian producers would give their eye teeth for. The quality and style can be traced back to the estate’s exceptional organically farmed sites. Olive Tree Hill Vineyard was planted in 1976 and abuts the S.R.H. parcel, while Winery Block was planted in 1981. Both lie on volcanic soils over limestone clays with an average vine age of around 35 years. This year’s estate Chardonnay also includes fruit from Stuart Block (1997), the close-planted Grigsby (2007) and Kelly Lane Vineyard (2016). The clonal mix comprises P58 and Bernard 76, 95 and 96. Vine spacings and planting densities vary across the sites.

The fruit was pressed as whole bunches and fermented naturally in a mixture of French hogsheads and puncheons (25% new). This year, 100% of the blend went through malolactic fermentation, and the wine spent 10 months maturing on lees with no stirring. Our expectations are always high for this release; each year, the Bannockburn team manages to exceed those expectations. This is a striking Chardonnay. It’s fleshy with stone fruits and citrus underpinned by chalk, flint and nutty/doughy richness. A pure, vivid Bannockburn with saturating presence, piercing acid cut and a precise, lengthy finish.

Bannockburn’s Chardonnay has a track record most Victorian producers would give their eye teeth for. The quality and style can be traced back to the estate’s exceptional organically farmed sites. Olive Tree Hill Vineyard was planted in 1976 and abuts the S.R.H. parcel, while Winery Block was planted in 1981. Both lie on volcanic soils over limestone clays with an average vine age of around 35 years. This year’s estate Chardonnay also includes fruit from Stuart Block (1997), the close-planted Grigsby (2007) and Kelly Lane Vineyard (2016). The clonal mix comprises P58 and Bernard 76, 95 and 96. Vine spacings and planting densities vary across the sites.

The fruit was pressed as whole bunches and fermented naturally in a mixture of French hogsheads and puncheons (25% new). This year, 100% of the blend went through malolactic fermentation, and the wine spent 10 months maturing on lees with no stirring. Our expectations are always high for this release; each year, the Bannockburn team manages to exceed those expectations. This is a striking Chardonnay. It’s fleshy with stone fruits and citrus underpinned by chalk, flint and nutty/doughy richness. A pure, vivid Bannockburn with saturating presence, piercing acid cut and a precise, lengthy finish.

This first-rate release brings together Bannockburn’s entire spectrum of Pinot vineyards. The 2024 includes fruit from Olive Tree Hill, planted in 1976, 10 Rows (1991), Stuart Block (1997), Anns Block (2004). The cream on top? The close-planted De La Terre block planted in 2007. All the sites lie in volcanic loam and dark clay over a limestone base and are planted to various clones, mainly MV6 with a smattering of the Dijon (or Bernard) clones. Fruit from each block fermented separately, with approximately 20% bunches included and a small portion undergoing carbonic maceration. The wine was pressed to hogsheads and puncheons (25% new) for 10 months’ maturation.

It's a Pinot that soars from the glass, perfumed and layered with flowers, spice, earth, wispy reduction and brambly berry fruits. Dive in! There’s an abundance of charm and character, with a bright, tight core of flavour framed by fine tannins and invigorating acidity. If this were Bannockburn’s top Pinot, that would be enough! Like the Chardonnay, it is a profound Bannockburn that will love the cellar. But who are we kidding? Show it plenty of air and serve with roast duck.

This first-rate release brings together Bannockburn’s entire spectrum of Pinot vineyards. The 2024 includes fruit from Olive Tree Hill, planted in 1976, 10 Rows (1991), Stuart Block (1997), Anns Block (2004). The cream on top? The close-planted De La Terre block planted in 2007. All the sites lie in volcanic loam and dark clay over a limestone base and are planted to various clones, mainly MV6 with a smattering of the Dijon (or Bernard) clones. Fruit from each block fermented separately, with approximately 20% bunches included and a small portion undergoing carbonic maceration. The wine was pressed to hogsheads and puncheons (25% new) for 10 months’ maturation.

It's a Pinot that soars from the glass, perfumed and layered with flowers, spice, earth, wispy reduction and brambly berry fruits. Dive in! There’s an abundance of charm and character, with a bright, tight core of flavour framed by fine tannins and invigorating acidity. If this were Bannockburn’s top Pinot, that would be enough! Like the Chardonnay, it is a profound Bannockburn that will love the cellar. But who are we kidding? Show it plenty of air and serve with roast duck.

In case you haven’t heard, this team makes a magic Bannockburn Beaujolais. 2024 marks the third release of this wine, but the first year with sufficient yields to offer to a wider audience. Matt Holmes and his team considered a wide variety of choices before Gamay six years ago became the first new variety introduced on the property since 1980. They chose well.

The 1.4-acre plot lies below the Olive Tree Hill Pinot Noir vines and down the slope from S.R.H. on limestone with clay subsoils. It’s a site with perfect conditions for this variety: a lot of warmth and intense afternoon sun in warmer seasons. The fruit was picked by hand and fermented spontaneously using whole-bunch carbonic maceration. After about eight days, the stems were removed and the grapes pressed to a single-use barrique to finish fermentation. The wine rested in barrel for 10 months before bottling.

Matt Holmes made a point of working in Beaujolais before releasing this wine. The result is a delightful combination of mouthwatering, juicy vibrance and creamy intent. Densely packed, it shows a mélange of blue fruit, pink peppercorn spice and a floral, herbal lift draped over Bannockburn’s savoury terroir character. Production is tiny, and this is Bannockburn, so don’t hesitate if you want a piece of the action.

Bannockburn’s Riesling is really hitting its stride. Riesling was one of the first varieties to be planted in Bannockburn’s original Olive Tree Hill vineyard in 1976. Today, most of the fruit still comes from this one acre of original, own-rooted, now quite low-yielding block that sits at the top of the north-facing slope on the property. A small portion (0.6 acres) of 2015 plantings is also in the mix. We don’t need to tell you about Riesling’s knack for expressing place, and Bannockburn’s deep-rooted old vines do a stellar job of soaking up every ounce of expression from these ancient limestone rocks.

The fruit was picked in excellent condition―when flavours were ripe and natural acidity still high―and pressed as bunches to steel tank for fermentation. The wine then matured on lees for three months before being bottled. As with the last couple of vintages, there were no additions other than a touch of sulphur. It's a wonderfully fragrant release, with citrus and white florals leading to fresh, crisp flavours and a mouthwatering chalky finish. 

Now in its third year, the 1314 Rosé is already a mainstay of Bannockburn’s range; Matt Holmes is putting the estate’s old-vine Cabernet and Merlot vines to good use. This year, Cabernet makes up 40% of the blend, with the balance comprising equal parts Merlot, Shiraz and Riesling. In the warm, dry conditions of 2024, Bannockburn’s well-established, low-yielding Riesling vines contribute refreshing drive to the full, fleshy berry-fruit profile.

All the fruit hails from the Winery Block, with vines planted in 1981, 1990 and 1996. The soils are clay over limestone, and the vineyard is farmed organically. The Cabernet component underwent carbonic maceration to soften up the skins before being gently pressed to tank for fermentation. The other varieties were simply pressed as bunches to tank for fermentation. Maturation was short―about three months―and took place in a combination of tanks and old barrels. It's juicy, full and fleshy, bursting with sweet summer berries and cassis underpinned by a distinctive savoury tone and a lick of wet stone on the fresh finish. With plenty of weight and flavour, this will pair well with a variety of dishes, including anything with spice.

Shiraz has made a couple of cameos in Bannockburn’s 1314 range over the years, but from 2024, its place becomes permanent. As with the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, vine age plays a significant role in the quality here, especially considering the price. The fruit hails from 1990 and 1996 planted vines on the Winery Block. Picked for freshness at 13.5% potential alcohol, the fruit was destemmed and fermented on skins for seven days before being pressed off to mostly old hogsheads (10% new) for eight months of maturation.

This is a super-impressive release with bright, alluring colour, a vibrantly scented, complex, spice-laden nose and a seriously deep, slinky-textured yet remarkably fresh expression. Perfumed, savoury, crunchy and composed, this is a beauty; one could polish off a bottle quite easily.

Fruit for this year’s Bannockburn Shiraz is drawn predominately from vines in the south-facing Winery Block (planted in 1990) and Range Block (1974), with some declassified De La Roche (planted in 2007) in the mix. The sites possess soils of mainly volcanic scoria over basalt, clay and loam with a limestone-clay base.

Conditions in 2022 were ideal, with sufficient rain in spring followed by a warm, consistent and well-paced ripening period. The Shiraz fermented spontaneously with 10% bunches and plenty of carbonic maceration. The wine spent two weeks on skins before being pressed, settled and racked to a combination of French oak hogsheads and puncheons (10% new) for a 10-month maturation. Matt Holmes has pared back the new oak and gradually introduced more carbonic influence in his Shiraz. He feels the mature Winery Block has inherent savoury qualities (due to the clay/limestone, old vines and poor soils), and this treatment lifts the impression of brightness and fruit purity.

Bannockburn produces one of the most distinctive expressions of Shiraz in Australia, which can be attributed almost entirely to the site. The 2022 is delightfully mid-weight, with enticing savoury depth, bright berry fruit, root spice and deep graphite-mineral tones. The weight is deft and silky, anchored by sinewy structure and star-bright acidity. It’s another winner.

Museum release. Each year, the Hooper family set aside some museum stock for extended cellaring, to be released when they deem each wine to be in a great place. Over the years, we have embraced their generosity and been rewarded with striking, mature, perfectly cellared wines. We are pleased to offer a slice of Bannockburn history once again.

Winemaker Michael Glover sourced the fruit for this wine from two of Bannockburn's Shiraz blocks: the Winery Block, planted in 1990 and extended in 1996; and the Range Block, planted in 1974. Both blocks lie on the signature limestone-rich soils of the Bannockburn site. The fruit fermented as whole bunches and matured for 12 months in French puncheons, one-third of which were new. The wine then spent a further 12 months in five-year-old barriques. 2013 was a warm vintage that produced wines of structure and power, making it a year in which Glover’s preference for whole bunches played out well in the bottle. A decade later, it’s beginning to hit its straps: deep and broad, framed by firm structure and beautifully integrated dusty tannins with all the savoury nuance and punchy flavour you’d expect from Bannockburn Shiraz.

Harmonious and complex, this will evolve in a decanter or big glass and will look even better with a braise or anything from the grill. It’s in the zone. 

Museum Release. Each year, the Hooper family set aside some Museum stock for extended cellaring to be released when they deem each wine to be in a great place. Over the years, we have embraced their generosity and been rewarded with striking, mature, perfectly cellared wines. We are pleased to offer a slice of Bannockburn history.

Like the Estate Shiraz, Bannockburn’s Cabernet blends showcase the depth and strength of the estate’s savoury signature. The team are always pleasantly surprised by the resilience and quality of their aged Cabernet-based wines, finding structure, freshness and remarkable balance more often than not—a fact that can be attributed to the quality of site and farming, no doubt.  The fruit hails from some of the oldest plantings at the estate: 1976 and 1981 Cabernet Sauvignon, 1981 Merlot and 1996 Shiraz. All three varieties are rooted deep in volcanic, dark, loamy soils atop a limestone base. In 2015, the fruit was picked by hand and destemmed, with a small portion left as whole clusters. The wine saw a lengthy maceration, after which it matured in seasoned French barrels of various sizes for 12 months.

Savoury and spicy with wisps of brambly fruits, baking spice and an enticing iron filing edge. The structure is sound, with lasting tannins and fresh acidity supporting the lovely mix of freshness and early signs of maturity, leading to a savoury, lengthy close. This is in a lovely spot.