2011 Bannockburn De La Roche Museum Release Shiraz, Geelong

The first release of a new closely planted (10 000 vines per hectare) shiraz; fully destemmed and wild yeast-fermented, it spent 12 months in puncheons (one-third new) and a second year in five-year-old French barriques. Bright colour of medium depth, it has a vibrant display of black and red cherry fruit, the medium-bodied palate supple and long, the finish speaking of fine tannins and quality oak.

95 points winecompanion.com.au July 2021

Planted in 2007, this 0.8-hectare vineyard lies on higher ground above the 'De La Terre' slope, so essentially it’s a westerly extension of the 'Serré' vineyard. The vines came from cuttings taken from Best’s and Tahbilk. The name ‘From the Rocks’ alludes to the plethora of volcanic rocks that litter the soil of this parcel. Again, the planting density of 10,000 vines/ha results in a naturally low yield of just 500g per vine (or less). To put this in perspective, Bannockburn’s old-vine Shiraz from the Range vineyard – already a low-yielding site – crops closer to 1.5-2kg per vine.