2024 Bannockburn Serré Pinot Noir

Bannockburn Vineyards was founded in 1974 by Stuart Hooper, who envisioned producing Australian wines to rival the world’s best. Situated in the Moorabool Valley near Geelong, the estate spans 26 vineyard blocks across diverse soils of volcanic debris, ancient seabeds, and limestone. Now among the oldest plantings in the region, Bannockburn is celebrated for its close-planted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and other varieties, grown with organic principles and crafted with minimal intervention to reflect purity of site. Remaining family-owned, the estate continues to balance heritage, sustainability, and innovation, producing wines of depth, character, and enduring quality.

The 2024 Serré Pinot Noir comes from Bannockburn’s iconic close-planted block, established in 1984 and extended in 1986, now certified organic. Planted to own-rooted MV6 at 1.2m x 1.2m spacing, it is believed to be the oldest high-density Pinot Noir vineyard in Australia. With north–south row orientation and complex soils of clay over weathered basalt and limestone, the site is inherently low-yielding and consistently produces wines of depth, power, and longevity.
The fruit was hand-picked, fully destemmed, and fermented on skins for 10 days before pressing to French oak hogsheads, 40% new. Following natural malolactic fermentation in spring, the wine matured undisturbed before blending and bottling in February. The result is a Pinot Noir of stature and precision, marked by concentration, fine structure, and the capacity to age gracefully over decades.
Alc. 13.5%

Other Reviews....
“Serré, planted in 1984 and extended in 1986, certified organic in 2021, is planted to 1.2m x 1.2m vine spacing, MV6 clone Pinot Noir on own roots.”
The thing about this wine is the length of its finish. It’s quite stunning. It’s a super-savoury style with earth, sap, beet and decayed rose characters swimming through red cherry, poached strawberries and rhubarb. Oak is a minor player here though there’s a nuttiness to the aftertaste, and a (gently) velvety aspect to the mouthfeel. This wine is in desperate need of another 3-5 years in bottle but the length of the finish says it all in terms of its quality. Drink 2028-2033+.
95 Points
Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front