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April '22

2021 Bannockburn Chardonnay

Introducing our first white

Whoa – can you believe it? April marks our sixth month of One Wine. Needless to say, we’ve sourced something really special for you this month. Not only have we selected our very first white wine ‒ the sublime Chardonnay from Bannockburn ‒ but we’ve also managed to get our hands on the brand-new 2021 vintage. That’s right, One Wine members will be among the first to try it! As one of the oldest winegrowers in the Geelong region, Bannockburn is considered a pioneer in the region and has earned an enviable reputation for their classic Aussie chardonnays. And if chardonnay isn’t your favourite, well you’ve not had the Bannockburn. And if you have? Then, you'll know exactly why we're so excited to share it with you.

The many faces of chardonnay

Love her or hate her, chardonnay is a varietal rockstar in the world of wine. The grape hails from Burgundy in east France, where it is one of the two great major varieties (the other being pinot noir). However, its widespread presence in vineyards outside of France has led to a fascinating and versatile stylistic evolution.

Vigorous, hardy and high-quality, chardonnay is a dream to work with in the vineyard. As a wine, it has a medium to full body, a broad flavour spectrum and a well-integrated acidity. Its ability to express the nuances of different regions and climates is matched by a versatility in the cellar: few varieties are as well-suited to different winemaking practices, including oak fermentation, barrel ageing, malolactic fermentation and lees-stirring. And no grape offers more diverse expressions, running the gamut from elegant, mineral wines to bold, voluptuous renditions, as well as a raft of other fabulous personalities in between.

“True to Bannockburn style, which offers both power and finesse [with] a world of marvellous fruit and oak flavours: mandarin skin, nectarine, white peach, buttered toast, almond bread, quince paste. It's dense, lifted by a citrusy acidity that is just so cleansing, so right. ”

95 points

Jeni Port (Halliday Wine Companion)
Published April 2022

An ode to the Cote d’Or

Bannockburn’s reputation for chardonnay owes a lot to its founder, Stuart Hooper, and his love for Burgundy. When selecting a site to plant his vineyard, he was on the hunt for soils similar to those found along the Cote d’Or ‒ Burgundy’s ‘golden slopes’.

A viticultural trailblazer, not beholden to the dictates of fashion, Hooper selected a limestone-rich site roughly 25km outside Geelong to establish Bannockburn. What is now the site of Winery Block, Bannockburn’s biggest vineyard, was just a sheep paddock in the 70s. “It was quite an obscure place to grow grapes,” says winemaker, Matthew Holmes, and at the time the decision to plant chardonnay and pinot noir was “practically unheard of.” But this choice would prove to be “the biggest and most fortuitous decision in Bannokburn’s history.”

Good old-fashioned chardy

Holmes describes the Bannockburn Chardonnay as more of an ‘old-fashioned style’. “The texture and density that comes from our limestone soil means that even if we’re not trying to make rich wine, that richness is always there.” In terms of winemaking, Holmes takes his cues from what the soils and the vineyard gives him: “I take this as a starting point and make some finishing touches, like malolactic fermentation ‒ about 70% ‒ and around 25% new oak.” The result is a wine that tastes complete and in balance.

The nose is richly perfumed with fresh citrus and fleshy stone fruit, peach blossom and cream that translate naturally to the palate. As promised, the wine is beautifully textured and mouth-filling, its richness kept in check by a bright seam of acidity. Hints of oak spice provide pops of savoury intrigue, however, it is the crescendo of limestone salinity and mineral finish that perfectly rounds out this wine.

Time to brine and wine

According to Matthew, this is definitely a chicken wine. “I'd say that a brined chicken, or even an unbrined chicken, would be a classic go-to for this wine.” While brining is an optional step, it not only presents the opportunity to get creative with herbs and spice, but it also marries nicely with the wine’s inherent minerality: “the sea bed that was here when the land was underwater, that's the limestone, so we get a real salinity in our wines which matches that brined cooking ‒ I suppose there's some logic here. Port Phillip Brined Chicken from Bannockburn.” Pair with some golden roast potatoes, a green salad and spot of spicy jus and you're onto a winner. 

But, as Matthew points out, “to be fair, muddy water would taste good with this wine.”

Try the recipe
The playlist

As the cooler weather sets in this month we’ve put together a playlist that evokes crisp, sunny days, cosy sweater-weather and generally gorgeous autumnal vibes. Just imagine soaking up the afternoon sun as leaves float about, enjoying a juicy roast chicken, fresh from the oven, over a long lunch in the backyard with your nearest and dearest. And a great bottle of chardy, of course.

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