2022 Bannockburn Serre Pinot Noir Magnum 1.5L, Geelong

This release is a wonder to behold. It’s firm, svelte, powerful and complex, with terrific length and all-round conviction. It’s a wine with X-factor. It tastes of earth and macerated cherries, strawberries and woodsy spice, undergrowth and fresh beet. It captivates you at hello and makes you sorrowful at goodbye. This is Bannockburn at its best, its greatness bell clear. 

96 points Campbell Mattinson winefront.com.au

The iconic Serré vineyard is a 1.2-hectares of vines planted in 1984 and 1986, exclusively to the MV6 clone. The site has volcanic top-soils, with darker clay over weathered basalt and limestone clay. It’s an organically managed and low-cropping site that produces Bannockburn’s most individual Pinot. Serré is close-planted to 9000 vines per hectare and trellised low with narrow rows, replicating the tough vineyard conditions and low-yield-per-vine approach of Grand Cru Burgundy. 

Wild yeast fermentation with 20% whole bunches preceded pressing to tank and settling overnight. Aging was for 10 months in French oak hogsheads (20% new). Spring malolactic fermentation was followed by racking back to tank prior to bottling in January. This significantly earlier bottling (as compared to that in previous eras) has brought Matt Holmes’ Serré a certain juicy primacy to offset the vineyard’s natural power, density and structure. This is a really bright and juicy expression of Serré, still with the power you might expect, but with more energy, vibrancy and jubeyness. There’s lots of vibrant red and blue fruits, some floral notes and a translucent, pure and classy palate. A superb example.