2025 Bannockburn Gamay
2025 Bannockburn Gamay

2025 Bannockburn Gamay

95 pts
Bannockburn |Geelong |Gamay
Only a few short vintages in and this is already one of Australia's best examples of Gamay.
Price:
$45.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Bannockburn introduced Gamay to their Geelong site back in 2019, grafting a tiny 1.4-acre plot over mixed clay and limestone. It was the first new variety they’d planted since the mid-nineties, and this 2025 release shows exactly why they bothered. While most local Gamay chases a simple, ultra-light carbonic style, this has the trademark Bannockburn depth and structural interest without ever feeling heavy.  

The wine opens with a moody mix of blackberry, black cherry and bramble, underpinned by a distinct amaro-like bitterness and crushed herbs. There is a lovely line of spice and a blood-orange freshness that keeps the darker fruit character moving at a cracking pace.  

It feels fluid and incredibly moreish in the mouth. Fine, gritty tannins provide just enough shape and drive, rolling into a long, savoury finish that makes it very hard not to reach for a second glass. One of the country's premier Gamays, and extremely limited.

95 points
"Flavour-packed on the medium-bodied, juicy-fruited yet refreshing palate. Finishes spicy and long with robust, balanced tannins."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

94 points
"Bannockburn makes such good gamay... Absolutely pitch perfect. I mean, come on. It’s so bright and yet, at the same time, so well fruited... Everything here is exactly the ticket."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

95 points - "From a 0.57ha block planted in 2014 and grafted to gamay in '19. This is the product of a warm, dry vintage, evident by the deep colour and aromas of morello cherry, baking spices and violet. Flavour-packed on the medium-bodied, juicy-fruited yet refreshing palate. Finishes spicy and long with robust, balanced tannins. Will age superbly over the medium term." - Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

94 points - "Bannockburn makes such good gamay. It’s grown on a 1.4 acre block planted in 2014.

Absolutely pitch perfect. I mean, come on. It’s so bright and yet, at the same time, so well fruited; it has freshness and substance and luminance in equal and harmonious measure. Cherry-berry flavours, some blueberry, some blood orange and ferrous notes, and intricate stitchings of spice. Trace elements of herbs and smoked, roasted meats. A bit of gloss but a liveliness at the same time. Everything here is exactly the ticket." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

Gamay is the only new variety to be introduced to our property since 1996. Our first plot was grafted in 2019 and the potential for this wonderful variety in our complex soils is undeniable.

Bannockburn Gamay is made from a 1.4-acre vineyard block, originally planted in 2014 and grafted to Gamay in 2019. The site sits at the base of the north facing Olive Tree Hill vineyard and the soil is made up of mixed clay over limestone.

Handpicked fruit was wild fermented initially utilising 100% whole bunch carbonic maceration, then destemmed and pressed to a large format old oak vessel to finish fermentation. The wine was left undisturbed for 10 months prior to bottling.

Bright, dark-toned fruits lead into black cherry, blackberry and bramble, framed by spice, bitter herbs and a subtle amaro-like edge. There’s depth here, but also lift and definition. The palate is vibrant and energetic, with a core of juicy dark fruit carried by lively, focused acidity. Savoury notes of crushed herbs and spice sit through the mid-palate, adding shape and detail without weight. Tannins are fine and gently gripping, giving line and structure, while the wine remains fluid and moreish throughout. It finishes long, fresh and savoury, with a persistent herbal and bitter-edged nuance.

Price Bracket $41 to $50
Type Red
Body Light Bodied
Variety Gamay
Country Australia
Region Geelong
Australian State VIC
Feature Iconic
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 95
Alcohol 13%
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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