Bannockburn

Stylistically they haven’t always appealed to my palate. Drinking the 2022 Serré Pinot is a breath of fresh air. If this is a sign of what’s to come, there will be more Bannockburn offered in the future.

Lying 25 kilometres northwest of Geelong along the Midland Highway, this heavyweight estate is located in the Moorabool Valley sub-region, just outside the township of Bannockburn. The estate comprises 26 vineyard blocks—including the iconic Serré vineyard (now the site of Australia’s oldest close-planted Pinot Noir vines). Here, Bannockburn’s predominantly mature vines are rooted in one of Victoria’s most unique low-fertility terroirs; volcanic surface debris and ancient seabeds running to richer and darker soils, layered over predominantly limestone bedrock.

Following almost a decade under the steam train of energy and passion that was Michael Glover, Matt Holmes is the winemaker charged with writing the next chapter of this singular estate. Perhaps most significantly, feeling the region was too arid to get the best of the dry-grown, densely-planted vineyards, Bannockburn and Holmes have ‘turned on the tap’ (to encourage the kind of canopies Holmes deems crucial for his vines’ balance). Holmes has also introduced an earlier bottling regime and a more flexible use of whole bunches than his predecessor.

In addition to a core-range glittering with stars, Bannockburn crafts a number of celebrated single-vineyard wines. Bannockburn’s S.R.H. comes off the oldest Chardonnay vines in the Olive Tree Hill Vineyard and is named in recognition of Bannockburn’s founder, Stuart Reginald Hooper. These 12 rows of 39-year-old vines – roots well embedded in the ancient marine sediments – seem to suck the minerality fresh out of their subsoil and so deliver a spine-tingling backbone of fresh, saline minerality to support the intense flavour and texture of this special wine.

In the Vineyard

All of Bannockburn’s close-planted vineyards are now certified organic. Matt Holmes believes that as soon as he and his team had started the process of improving vine health a few years ago, the upshot in fruit quality was immediately noticeable in the wines.

In the vineyards, Holmes works with Lucas Grigsby, Bannockburn’s viticulturist for over 30 years. Grigsby takes great pride in tending to the vineyards with a strong belief in organic farming practices to maintain the health of the soils and Bannockburn’s vines. Between them, the pair’s viticultural principles are based on a healthy respect for the land and responsible farming, e.g., the use of organic composting and straw mulching to eliminate the need for herbicide sprays and the cultivation of inter-row cover crops to add soil nutrients. The iconic Serré vineyard is a 1.2-hectares of vines planted in 1984 and 1986, exclusively to the MV6 clone the clone that was propagated from the cuttings James Busby sourced from Clos Vougeot in the 19th century. The site has volcanic top-soils, with darker clay over weathered basalt and limestone clay. It’s an organically managed and low-cropping site that produces Bannockburn’s most individual Pinot. Serré is close-planted to 9000 vines per hectare and trellised low with narrow rows, replicating the tough vineyard conditions and low-yield-per-vine approach of Grand Cru Burgundy.

More recently, Michael Glover oversaw the inception, planting and nurturing of the two very special high-density single vineyards — De la Terre and De la Roche. De la Terre is a sub-one-hectare, organically managed vineyard planted to 10,000 Pinot Noir vines per hectare (on a north-south row orientation rather than the east-west of its immediate neighbour, Serré).

In the Winery

Under Holmes’ direction there’s also been a stylistic tilt in the winery, and with his Chardonnay, he’s steering a racier, more mouth-watering course—with less emphasis on lees and oak and more on vibrant acidity and freshness.

Holmes employs minimal additions, wild yeast ferments and low intervention winemaking resulting in wines that are made with integrity and that are distinctively Bannockburn.

Yet it is perhaps the style and quality of Bannockburn’s Pinot Noir in which the changes can be most keenly observed. An earlier-bottling regime and more reticent use of whole bunches are resulting in a purity of expression perhaps never seen under this label.

They say you’ve got to watch out for the quiet ones, and Matt Holmes is overseeing a discreet but careful evolution in both vineyard and winery.

Where in the World is Bannockburn?

25 kilometres northwest of Geelong along the Midland Highway, the Bannockburn Vineyards estate is located in the Moorabool Valley sub-region, just outside the township of Bannockburn.