Matt Holmes has been tweaking the Sauvignon Blanc for the last few years to capture more freshness and site expression. Beginning in 2021, the winemaking was pared back, allowing the old vines and limestone soils to take centre stage. Tweaks aside, this remains one of Australia’s most complex examples of the variety. The fruit was drawn primarily from the original Sauvignon Blanc plantings (1996) at the property's eastern edge on a block adjacent to the Serré Pinot Noir vines. The remaining fruit was grown on another small block on the east side of the dam. Both blocks are in the organic-certified section of the property.
The fruit from these old, limestone-rooted vines was pressed as whole bunches and settled overnight before being racked to tank for fermentation. The wine was then racked to seasoned French barrels and stainless-steel tanks for a short maturation on lees before bottling. They say a change is as good as a rest, and Bannockburn’s fresh take on Sauvignon Blanc proves as much. Long-term fans of the wine will find full flavour, texture and layers of complexity, now joined by brisk freshness and linear, crisp drive—a class act.