Description

Fruit for this Bannockburn Range Shiraz comes off the oldest block. The wine was whole-bunch fermented with wild yeast and left on skins for 31 days. Aged in puncheons it was bottled in 2014. Bannockburn Range is only produced in the years that the fruit looks exceptionally good. And this wine follows through.

The nose is savoury with grapite, olives, brine, dark fruits, spice, sweet raspberry, floral, ripe plum, white pepper becoming bunchy and herbal. In the mouth you get the quality of Bannockburn Range Shiraz, creamy upfront, sappy acid from the mid-palate, peppery finish. As it opens up you see the very fine tannins, olives and marmalade finish.

Bannockburn Range Shiraz is drinking really well right now. It’ll hold this peak for a while yet, but I recommend opening them and enjoying them from now.

Bannockburn Range Shiraz Geelong 2012, and all wines are eligible for at least 5% off any six bottles. And 10% off any 12 bottles. Some wines will be at a more significant discount and not subject to further discounts.

Established in 1974 and from almost day one turning out quality wines. With Gary Farr as winemaker this rising star became an Australian icon. Subsequent winemakers have built on the legend of Bannockburn. Expanded vineyard holdings and added to the range and depth of quality.

Bannockburn Range Shiraz Geelong 2012 Wine Review

James Halliday
WINECOMPANION.COM.AU
AUGUST 2016
96 points

“Made from the original shiraz planting of 1.66ha. in ’74, and the sheer intensity of fruit at 9 yo is as remarkable as the colour.”

Geelong

Within the GI of Geelong, there is some distinctly different climates, diverse soil profiles and strong personalities. And it helps that quite a few producers are making interesting and exciting wines here. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz all excel, but in the right site, there are plenty of other varieties that can do well.

Shiraz/Syrah

A bit of a chameleon, Shiraz can change how it looks depending on the terroir and/or winemaker influence. The Syrah-based wines of Northern Rhone are dry and austere, while the Shiraz of Barossa is opulent and fleshy. A variety that lends itself to long aging but can be drunk at any time of its evolution.

Australian Wine

The invasion of “Sunshine in a bottle” put Australian wine on the map.  The fruity, easy-going, somewhat samey wines were endearing for a short time. Then the next big thing knocked them off their perch.

This forced producers to increase quality and emphasise the distinctive terroirs of Australia. Of which there are many. And many more yet to be discovered.

Wine

Wine is the result you get from fermented grape juice. There is proof of wine production dating back 8000 years ago. Fashions, innovations and many other factors have influenced the way wine has evolved over the years.

The wine grape is special. It contains everything you need to make grape wine except for the yeast, which lives on the outside of the skins.

Human inputs can influence the final product, including the viticulture (growing) choices. And the winemaker can shape the wine to a point too.

The best wines of the world often refer to terroir. Terroir is a French term that refers to all the climatic, geological and topographical influences on a specific piece of land. And it is true that neighbouring vineyards, grown identically, can taste noticeably different.

Red Wine

Fun fact; most of the colour for wines comes from the skins. There are only a handful of grapes that have red juice. Alicante is the most well known of these grapes.

By macerating the juice on the skins, the wine gains tannins, and flavours. Certain compounds change the chemistry of the wine too.

Red wines tend to have higher alcohol. More tannin and more oak flavours compared to other styles of wine. But the thousands of grapes and terroirs they grow in influence this.