Planted in 2007, this 0.8-hectare vineyard is littered with volcanic rocks (hence the name) and lies on the plateau above the De La Terre slope—essentially making it a westerly extension of the Serré vineyard. It was originally planted with various clonal cuttings from Best’s and Tahbilk on a mix of rootstock and own roots. Holmes only uses the Best’s clone in this bottling today and the rest of the site has been grafted over to Chardonnay, giving Bannockburn a close-planted Chardonnay block, named Grigsby after Bannockburn’s long-standing vineyard manager.
This single clone and the recent changes in vineyard practice have produced something finer and more classical than the early De La Terre releases. The 2017 was wild-fermented with 70% whole bunches and pressed off after two weeks on skins. The wine was then raised in a mix of old and new (30%) hogsheads.