Bannockburn Pinot Noir 1981-1999
If ever the spirit of Burgundy was to breathe on an Australian winery, it would be at Bannockburn. Winemaker Gary Farr has made annual pilgrimages to Domaine Dujac in Burgundy's Morey St Denis since 1983, and became an indispensable part of owner Jacques Seysses's vintage team. But as with all Flying Winemakers, Gary Farr has received as much as he has given, and since 1984 (the first Australian vintage following his baptism at Domaine Dujac) radically changed both the viticulture and the winemaking practices at Bannockburn.
The uncompromisingly cool climate of Geelong has been recognised as ideally suited to pinot noir for over a century, the black loam over limestone soils likewise. But with the addition of a very high density planting of pinot noir (9000 vines per hectare as opposed to the Australian traditional 2000 vines) and the no-holds-barred adoption of the fermentation and maturation techniques of Domaine Dujac, Farr has added a whole new dimension to the concept of Pinot Noir in Australia. The fermentation of 100 per cent whole bunches was unique to Bannockburn and largely responsible for the instantly recognisable style. In the past few years Gary Farr has relented a little, and crushed a proportion of the grapes in a successful quest for a little more sweet fruit flavour even if at the expense of structure and complexity.
First tasted in September 1994, updated, and later vintages added.
Copyright © 2002 James Halliday