Description
Since its establishment by Stuart Reginald Hooper in 1974, Bannockburn Vineyards has been at the vanguard of the Australian fine wine story, producing vineyard specific wines of the highest quality from the start. It lies 25 kilometres northwest of Geelong, 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) – planted to seven grape varieties, of which Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz form the key quintet. Here, Bannockburn’s predominantly mature vines are rooted in one of Victorias’ most unique low-fertility terroirs; volcanic surface debris and ancient sea beds 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, taking over in 2015.
About this wine: Certified organic. Serré is Bannockburn’s most iconic and memorable Pinot Noir; their supernova. Serré’s 1.2 hectares of densely-planted (9,000 per hectare), low-yielding, own-rooted vines were planted exclusively to the MV6 clone in 1984 and 1986. It is likely Australia’s oldest plot of densely-planted Pinot Noir—which explains the striking complexity and intense concentration found in this wine. The naturally low-yielding vines lie in the Estate’s signature volcanic, basalt and limestone-rich soils with a north-south orientation. It’s a special site that produces the Estate’s most powerful, deeply flavoured and long-lived Pinot Noir.
As is usually the case for a Matt Holmes Serré, the fruit was entirely destemmed before fermenting on skins for 10 days. The wine was pressed to French oak hogsheads (40% new) and then left to mature on lees until February 2025. Marked by characteristic dark fruits, alluring savoury spice, and herbal complexity, it’s a multi-layered and intense release-tightly packed with Serrée attitude, and equally articulate. That’s the beauty of Serré: a wine full of contrast. Shaped by the depth and succulence of this vintage, the ’24 clings to the palate like Velcro. Clearly built for a beautiful life in the cellar, this release will surely go down as one finest in Serrée’s eventful thirty-year history.
96 points, Ryan Montgomery, Jamessuckling.com “Dark-fruited aromas with underlying notes of dried flowers and herbs, cured meats, wet earth and plum skins. The palate is mid-weighted, with finely tuned tannins and a plush, rounded mouthfeel, finishing with a mineral edge. A touch of reduction now, but will open with time in the bottle. Delicious. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
95 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front “The thing about this wine is the length of its finish. It’s quite stunning. It’s a super-savoury style with earth, sap, beet and decayed rose characters swimming through red cherry, poached strawberries and rhubarb. Oak is a minor player here though there’s a nuttiness to the aftertaste, and a (gently) velvety aspect to the mouthfeel. This wine is in desperate need of another 3-5 years in bottle but the length of the finish says it all in terms of its quality.”
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