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Stuart Hooper planted Olive Tree Hill in 1976, making this block the oldest vineyard on the Bannockburn property. Alongside the Chardonnay vines, which produce the S.R.H Chardonnay, Hooper laid down a block of own-rooted MV6 Pinot, which are now approaching their 50th vintage. Bannockburn tells us that these old vines are consistently that last to ripen, producing small, concentrated berries which, in turn, yields their darkest and most structured Pinot Noir.
Across all single-vineyard Pinots, Matt Holme’s winemaking remains the same, give or take a new barrel or two. So, what you taste are the true colours of each parcel. Here, the wine is steeped in old-vine concentration with flavours oscillating between red fruit and black, with earthy spice and mulchy, forest floor complexity. There’s an assured calmness to the palate, which combines both powerful, spice-charged perfume and regal structure. It’s not hard to see why Bannockburn are now bottling these old vines sui generis: the wine has character to burn.