Bannockburn Chardonnay 2025 750ml

Bannockburn Chardonnay 2025 is a concentrated and finely structured Geelong Chardonnay made entirely from estate grown fruit. Ripe stone fruit, grapefruit and pear are layered with savoury oak, gentle creaminess and mineral freshness, creating a wine with generosity, tension and impressive length. The 2025 vintage was the earliest harvest recorded at Bannockburn Vineyards. Warm and dry growing conditions produced concentrated fruit with excellent clarity, natural acidity and strong vineyard expression.

Wine Style

Wine Style: Complex, textural and mineral Chardonnay

Wine Sweetness: Dry

Wine Body: Medium to full bodied

Tasting Notes

Aroma: White peach, nectarine and ripe pear, with grapefruit, cedar, dried hay, subtle nougat and gentle notes of cashew, oatmeal and pastry.

Palate: Concentrated and beautifully layered, with yellow stone fruit, grapefruit, pear and lemon curd supported by fine acidity, subtle oak and a gentle creamy texture.

Finish: Long, composed and persistent, with lingering citrus, mineral notes, subtle sweet spice and a fresh saline edge.

Serving Suggestions

Serve lightly chilled and allow the wine some time in the glass before drinking. Pair with roast chicken, grilled fish, lobster, scallops, creamy seafood pasta, mushroom risotto or aged soft cheeses.

Its concentration and bright acidity also make it an excellent match for dishes featuring butter, roasted nuts, cream or subtle smoke.

About The Vineyards

Fruit for Bannockburn Chardonnay 2025 was drawn from several established estate vineyards, including Olive Tree Hill, Winery Block, Stuart Block, Grigsby and Kelly Lane. The plantings range from some of the estate’s oldest Chardonnay vines, established in 1976, through to younger vines planted in 2016.

The blend includes P58 and Bernard Chardonnay clones 76, 95 and 96, planted across vineyards with different vine spacings, orientations and soil profiles. Combining fruit from these individual blocks allows the wine to express the broader character of the Bannockburn estate rather than one single site.

Winery Block was planted in 1981 and has played an important role in developing the distinctive Bannockburn Chardonnay style. Grigsby was established in 2007 as a close planted Chardonnay vineyard and is managed using certified organic practices. Olive Tree Hill contains the estate’s oldest Chardonnay vines, planted in 1976.

Winemaking

The fruit was hand picked and whole bunch pressed before settling overnight. Fermentation occurred naturally with wild yeast in French oak hogsheads and puncheons, with approximately 25 percent new oak.

Around 70 percent of the blend completed malolactic fermentation. The wine then rested on its lees without stirring for 10 months before blending and bottling. This careful approach builds texture and complexity while preserving the freshness, acidity and mineral character of the fruit.

About Bannockburn Vineyards And The Geelong Region

Bannockburn Vineyards was founded by Stuart Hooper in the early 1970s. Inspired by the great wine regions of France, Hooper selected land in the Moorabool Valley and established vineyards with an uncompromising focus on quality and regional expression.

The first vineyard was planted in 1974, followed by further plantings throughout the 1970s and 1980s. At a time when much of the Australian wine industry looked towards Bordeaux varieties, Bannockburn invested heavily in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These early decisions helped establish the estate as one of the leading producers of Burgundian varieties in Australia.

Bannockburn remains owned by the Hooper family and is now under its third generation of family stewardship. The vineyard and winery teams continue to follow the original philosophy of producing wines that clearly reflect the soil, climate and season.

The estate is located in the Moorabool Valley, approximately 25 kilometres northwest of Geelong. The vineyards are planted across low fertility soils formed from volcanic material and ancient sea beds, with limestone bedrock found beneath many sections of the property.

The region receives relatively low rainfall and benefits from cooling winds from the Southern Ocean. Long daylight hours and dry, stable growing conditions allow the grapes to ripen gradually while retaining acidity and freshness. Naturally low yields contribute to Chardonnay with concentrated flavour, firm structure and excellent cellaring potential.

Review - 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. Drink 2026 to 2034+- Campbell Mattinson

Cellaring Potential

This Chardonnay is beautifully expressive now, particularly after a little time in the glass. It also has the concentration, acidity and fine oak structure to develop over eight to twelve years from vintage.

With careful cellaring, expect the fresh stone fruit and citrus characters to evolve towards toasted nuts, pastry, preserved lemon and deeper savoury complexity.

Details

Producer: Bannockburn Vineyards

Vintage: 2025

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Moorabool Valley, Geelong, Victoria

Wine Style: Complex, textural and mineral Chardonnay

Wine Sweetness: Dry

Wine Body: Medium to full bodied

Vineyards: Olive Tree Hill, Winery Block, Stuart Block, Grigsby and Kelly Lane

Oak: French hogsheads and puncheons, approximately 25 percent new

Lees Maturation: 10 months

Farming: Estate grown, managed using organic farming principles

Bottle Size: 750ml