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.
Named for the year of the Battle of Bannockburn fruit for the 1314 Chardonnay is sourced from several blocks across Bannockburn’s organically farmed estate, including a healthy dose from the pedigreed 1976 plantings.
This is a barrel selection of the Estate’s 2025 crop, so the cellar practice is as it was for the Estate wines. The fruit was pressed as bunches to hogsheads (10% new) for fermentation. As is always the case, the oak is faultlessly integrated, and 85% of the wine underwent full malolactic conversion, followed by seven months of maturation on lees with no stirring. Only marginally less intense than the Estate bottling, this is an accomplished Chardonnay imbued with fleshy stony-citrus flavours, ocean-spray freshness and long, satiny length. The outstanding 2025 vintage has elevated this wine to another level.
93 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front ““The core of fruit flavour here is just simply delicious. In fact this wine pretty much rates as a ‘wow’ for deliciousness. It tastes of hay and yellow stonefruit, popcorn and pears, with a fully-integrated lacing of cedarwood oak. It’s a wine of excellent fruit intensity and also of out-and-out succulence. Yes please. Love this.”
93 points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion “A very bright green gold. An appealing bouquet of stone fruits, lemon curd, grilled hazelnut and a gentle waft of sea spray. As always with this wine, it’s generous and mouth-filling but it’s also balanced and long. Drink now and over the next two to three years.”
RRP $40 Our Special Price $29.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine
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