Bondar Hope Springs Eternal Shiraz 2023

Hope Springs Eternal is a new project for us. It essentially an attempt to produce great wine, from vineyard sites we believe to be amongst the best for that variety in the region. For Shiraz, this means Clarendon, with old vines and altitude giving deep fruit and tannin yet elegance. Sourced from the Hickinbotham vineyard in Clarendon. Farmed biodynamically, dry grown, rocky red, ironstone rich soils, planted in 1971. This is a revered site in McLaren Vale, situated much further inland than our Rayner Vineyard, and at 250m altitude, this is a very different expression of Shiraz. Finer, with ferrous quality and red fruits, there is a tightness and coiled power.

Vintage: The 2023 vintage was the third La Nina vintage in a row in South Australia, producing the coolest conditions we have seen in McLaren Vale for decades. Yields were again poor, particularly in Grenache which doesn’t set fruit well when challenged by wind and cold weather. Persistent rain events through Spring made disease pressure much higher than usual,with extra diligence required in the vineyard to prevent crop and quality loss. The cooler conditions led to another late year, with harvest 2-3 weeks later than the previous decades averages. Generally, the conditions were much more marginal, not a problem we are used to facing in sunny McLaren Vale. Marginal viticulture can produce magnificent results, and the wines of 2023 are an example of this. The acids are predictably quite high, and the long hang time has led to delicious flavour. Most exciting of all though is the immense purity in the wines, high toned freshness with great focus.

Winemaking: For the Hope Springs Eternal reds, we work with whole bunches in the fermentation to add layers of flavour, structural tannin, and to bring an enhanced elegance. The 2023 version has 65% whole bunches, when combined with the coolest year we’ve experienced in McLaren Vale in our short time here, there is abundant spice and savoury tones. The wine was stored in seasoned (four year old) French hogsheads for 14 months. Producer’s Notes