Deep ruby-black with a purple hue, lighter on the rim. This has an alluring and broody bouquet, penetrating dark fruit aromas with olive, thyme, smoky barrel elements with underlying power. Medium-full bodied, highlighted dark cherries and blueberries melded with olive, graphites and thyme, followed by an amalgam of spice and smoke. The mouthfeel is silky and sleek with ultra-fine tannins and structure; integrated, salivating acidity drives excellent focus and carries a smoke hint throughout the palate. This Bannockburn shows multi enticing layers and refined structure, with elegant fruit and herb, moreish acidity on a harmonious, sleek palate. A very sexy Pinot! Match with lamb rack and black truffle over the next 12+ years. Fruit from Hall Road, fermented with 22% whole bunch to 14% alc, aged 11 months in French oak barrels, 29% new oak.

Decanter World Wine Awards: Best in Show - Bannockburn sits at the heart of one of the wine world's most promising Pinot locations outside Burgundy, and this dark, fragrant yet intensely fruited wine drew our judges' attention not just for the panache of its fruit but also for its intensity, drive, structure and resonance. The blackberry and plum fruits you can find on the nose are almost brooding, and a far cry from the sometimes simple appeal of the region's pioneer Pinots. On the palate it is mouth-filling and deep with high-resolution focus; the acidity is neither trivial nor shrill; the tannins are soft, but carry a useful flavour print. It's after you swallow, though, that you come to appreciate its sinew and ligament, its inner seriousness and its sheer completeness. Very fine Pinot by any measure.