2025 Bannockburn Chardonnay

96 pts
Class act Geelong Chardonnay from one of the region's great wine estates. Powerful and polished.

Price:
Sale price$75.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Bannockburn Chardonnay has held benchmark status in Geelong for decades, and if you're a fan of this wine then will not be disappointed with this new release - it's a ripper!

The 2025 release draws on the full spectrum of their estate footprint. It pulls fruit from five distinct blocks, blending old 1976 plantings with younger blocks to capture that signature mix of limestone soil crunch and mature vine power.  

The winemaking keeps things traditional with whole-bunch pressing and wild ferments, though they turned up the malolactic fermentation to 70% this year to balance out the cool season.

What makes this vintage so compelling is the sheer power and juice of the fruit on the palate. Grapefruit and ripe pear flavours are reined in by a saline, mineral drive and acidity that feels completely flushed with flavour. It finishes long, smoky, and incredibly composed.  

We reckon this is right on par with their best releases yet.

96 points
"This is one of those wines where the acidity itself feels flushed with flavour. The aftertaste then adds some pebble-stone characters, just because it can. What a wine."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

96 points - "There are yellow stone fruits characters here, and an array of sweet spice notes, but it’s the flesh, the rush and the juice of grapefruit and ripe pear flavours that both dominate and seduce. This wine really does make you dive quickly in for more. There’s a subtle smokiness, some tonic and mineral-like notes, and an especially noticeable (extra) linger to the finish. This is one of those wines where the acidity itself feels flushed with flavour. The aftertaste then adds some pebble-stone characters, just because it can. What a wine." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

The estate bottling was made from fruit grown across all vineyard sites; Olive Tree Hill, Winery Block, Stuart Block & Kelly Lane. The oldest vines planted in 1976, through to the most recent 2016 planting. This wine has consistently been rated as one of Australia’s best Chardonnays, reflecting the ideal combination of limestone soils, cool climate and mature vines.

Bannockburn Chardonnay is made from a blend of estate fruit grown on our established vineyards; the oldest vines planted in 1976, through to the most recent 2016 planting. This release includes fruit grown across Olive Tree Hill (1976), Winery Block (1981), Stuart Block (1997), Grigsby (2007) & Kelly Lane (2016) vineyards. The clonal mix includes P58, Bernard 76, 95 & 96, with various vine spacings and planting densities.

Handpicked parcels of fruit were whole bunch pressed, settled over night, and racked to barrels for a wild yeast fermentation in a combination of French hogsheads and puncheons; approximately 25% was new oak. Malolactic fermentation occurred on 70% of the blend. The wine was left on lees unstirred for 10 months prior to blending and bottling.

Cedar and dried hay give way to white peach and nectarine, pithy citrus and a subtle nougat note, with hints of cashew, oatmeal and pie crust in the background. The palate is fresh yet concentrated, layered with a gentle creaminess and lemon curd notes carried by fine acidity. It moves steadily through the mid-palate, finishing long and composed with a saline edge.

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Australia
Region Geelong
Australian State VIC
Feature Iconic
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Critic Score 96
Alcohol 13.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2025
Closure Screw Cap

Bannockburn

For over 50 years, Bannockburn has been a quiet force in Australian fine wine. The story began in 1974 when Stuart Hooper discovered and planted this now-iconic site in Victoria’s Moorabool Valley. In 1978, Gary Farr joined as winemaker, bringing a Burgundian lens that helped define the estate’s identity.

Today, Matt Holmes leads the winemaking, first stepping in for the 2005 vintage and returning permanently in 2015 after Michael Glover’s departure. Holmes’ style is thoughtful and site-first - guided by organics, minimal intervention, and an intuitive feel for balance. His Chardonnays are chiseled and composed. The Pinot Noirs - more precise than ever - are some of Victoria's best.

Viticulturist Lucas Grigsby, a 30-year veteran, tends the vines with the same hands-on, regenerative mindset. Together, they farm sustainably - straw mulching, composting, and nurturing cover crops - all to express the site with absolute clarity.

Bannockburn’s single-vineyard range tells the deeper story. S.R.H. Chardonnay draws tension and salinity from ancient marine sediments. The iconic Serré vineyard, planted densely in 1984, channels a Grand Cru sensibility. These are wines shaped by place, not ego. They hum with Burgundian influence, but speak fluently in an Australian accent.

Winemaker Matt Holmes - Geelong, VIC Bannockburn

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