Named for Bannockburn founder Stuart Reginald Hooper, Bannockburn SRH Chardonnay uses fruit sourced from Estate’s oldest Chardonnay vines at Olive Tree Hill Vineyard.
Whole bunch pressed to tank, then racked to 1300l French oak cask. Indigenous yeast primary and secondary fermentation, minimal stirring and aged on lees for eighteen months before bottling.
The 2015 growing season was moderately warm and dry. Fresh, cool stone fruits are complemented by citrus acids; complexity arrives via lees contact, natural ferment and MLF with the characteristic saline/oyster shell aromatics
From 12 rows of chardonnay planted ?76; matured for 3 years on lees in a single oak cask. Still bright straw-green, its intensity makes you rear back and regroup for a second taste, the only question whether it is ripe enough, and the answer is yes it is; but it's all about grapefruit and minerals on the ultra-long palate, finish and aftertaste.
96 pts - The Australian Wine Companion, Published 02 August 2016