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Certified organic. During the winery’s construction in 1981, Bannockburn’s Winery Block was planted to Chardonnay P58, also know as the Old Penfolds Clone. Since that time, the Winery Block has formed the heart and soul of Bannockburn’s Estate Chardonnay. The consistent, textural core of citrus, orchard fruit and struck match you find in the Estate Chardonnay—that’s the Winery Block. The soils range from dark brown clay to sandier topsoil, over weathered basalt and limestone. While the vineyard typically ripens early, picking is spaced over many days to reflect varying degrees of ripeness across the 5.3-acre block.
This single-vineyard selection is a limited-release barrel selection based of the conditions of each season; the kind of wine a French producer might call a Tête de Cuvée. The inaugural vintage mostly comes from the early ripening sites in this warmer year. Compared to the Grigsby, the only difference in the winemaking was a touch more new oak in the blend: 40% in this instance.
This is Bannockburn in a glass, offering layers of pulpy texture and purity alongside loads of stone fruit, matchstick, and hay-like complexity that stretch out like satin on the palate. This is a harmonious, caressing expression of Bannockburn Chardonnay and one that speaks with the clarity of place. It closes with a bright streak of chalky acidity cutting through on the long, focussed finish.