2026 Bannockburn Riesling, Geelong

A delightful and refreshing riesling with early-drinking appeal, but still with depth and class. Aromas of nectarines, peaches, yellow apples, kaffir limes, citrus and white blossoms. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a lovely fruit texture, bright acidity and a refreshing, chalky finish. Drink or hold.

94 points Ryan Montgomery for James Suckling, September 2026

Intensity of flavour is very good but it’s the softness and the length that impresses. This release tastes of apples – cooked and fresh – lime, yeast, mace, grapefruit and yellow stonefruit. It’s attractive for its flavour and for its feel. It’s sophisticated in a more-ish way. There’s also a tonic-like note to the aftertaste. The summary of all this is that this wine runs to its own design and is excellent.

94 points Campbell Mattionson for The Wine Front

Bannockburn Riesling is made predominantly from a 0.4-hectare parcel planted in 1976 on own roots at the top of the in the north facing Olive Tree Hill slope. The 2026 also includes fruit from a small vineyard parcel planted in 2015 as an extension of the Winery Block.

The fruit from the cool and dry 2026 season was handpicked and whole bunch pressed. The juice was then settled overnight and racked into stainless steel for temperature-controlled fermentation after which it was racked for a three-month maturation on lees prior to bottling

About this producer

Stuart Hooper planted the first vines at Bannockburn in 1974 with a clear ambition: to produce wines that could stand alongside the great estates of Burgundy. Fifty years on, the estate has made good on that ambition. The 26 blocks of estate vines, some of the oldest in the Geelong region, include the Serré vineyard planted in 1984. Farming across the estate is organic, yields are tightly restricted, and the Moorabool Valley’s low-fertility soils and continental climate do the rest. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the foundation, but the range extends further, and every wine is made from estate fruit alone.