Bannockburn Chardonnay 2011

"A wonderfully textured, rich and complex chardonnay crafted in as true a Burgundian fashion as you will find in Australia by Gary Farr, a man truly in touch with pinot noir and chardonnay. Becomes wonderfully complex and succulent with age, scented with flowers and roast nuts. One of the new generation of chardonnays you really can cellar with confidence."  Jeremy Oliver

"Citrus, stones, a melt of smoky, cedary oak, nuts and shells and blossoms. It's an entrancing show. And it will get better, given another few years in the bottle."  Campbell Mattinson

"Bannockburn Chardonnay is an immensely complex wine reflecting both the inherent quality of vineyard site, tried and tested old clones and a strong winemaking philosophy based on 'low input – maximum flavour'. The low vigour vineyards are located on volcanic soils over limestone. The wine is whole bunch pressed. Fermentation in barrel takes place over a six week period although it is not unusual for some barrels to take months. The wine is matured in a combination of 1 year old and new (30%) oak for 9 to 11 months. The oak plays a supporting role. Tropical fruit aromas, nutty, vanillin complexity, ripe fruit, a creamy palate and fruit sweetness make it one of the best Chardonnays in the country."  Andrew Caillard MW 

Expert reviews

"It was a cold and wet 2011 vintage in Geelong as well – though not quite as wet as it was in some others parts. I liked this immediately on opening but I left some in a glass overnight – a particularly chilly autumn night it was too – and it smelled/tasted beautiful the next morning. Yet another Australian chardonnay I'd be confident in cellaring.

Delicious and lengthy. Not sure I need say much more. Citrus, stones, a melt of smoky, cedary oak, nuts and shells and blossoms. It's an entrancing show. And it will get better, given another few years in the bottle. Screwcap, be blessed. This wine is impossible to fault. Drink : 2015 - 2020."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 94+ points

About the winery

Stuart Hooper was a successful businessman with a passion for everything about wine and a deep love for the wines of Burgundy. He envisioned creating a vineyard that would produce Australian wine of a quality to emulate the great regions of France.

In 1974 Stuart selected a plot of land in the Moorabool Valley near the township of Bannockburn and planted 3 hectares of Shiraz. Before long, more land was acquired, more vines and varieties planted and Bannockburn Vineyards is now one of the most highly regarded small winemaking estates in Australia. It was inevitable that pinot noir and chardonnay would form the major part of the plantings, with lesser amounts of riesling, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and merlot.

Stuart has since passed, but Bannockburn Vineyards remains in the Hooper family, with his daughters as custodians to ensure his philosophy is preserved. Matt Holmes succeeded Michael Glover as winemaker in 2015. Lucas Grigsby, Viticultural Manager for over 30 years, takes personal pride tending to the vineyards with a belief in organic farming practices to maintain the health of the soils and vines. In the winery, Matt Holmes believes in minimal additions, wild yeast ferments and low intervention winemaking. The results are wines that are made with integrity and that are distinctively Bannockburn.