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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.