Tilbage i 2013 startede Selina Kelly and Andre Bondar med at realisere deres drøm om at lave vin på deres egen vingård. Bondar Wines blev projektet døbt og sammen med et par af deres venner og familie startede de med at håndplukke små mængder Shiraz og Chardonnay, som de brugte til at lave Bondar’s første vine med. Visionen var (og er fortsat) at lave vine, der er lyse og rene, fint strukturerede, medium til full bodied, men alligevel koncentreret i smage.
Allerede i 2014 kunne Bondar Wines købe Rayner Vineyard placeret i McLaren Vale, som også er her huset holder til i dag. Rayner Vineyard ligger på en bjergskråning på grænsen til underregionerne Blewitt Springs og Beautiful View (marken har havudsigt) lige nord for byen McLaren Vale, og er en af de mere kendte blokke i regionen. Vinstokkene går tilbage til 1950'erne, da ejendommen var ejet af Rayner-familien, og består hovedsageligt af det, som regionen er bedst til, Shiraz og Grenache.
Fra da første vin kom på flaske tilbage i 2013 til i dag har Bondar kun modtaget rosende ord fra anmelderne.
“Bondar is certainly a name worth becoming familiar with.” Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
James Halliday’s Best New Winery in his 2017 Australian Wine Companion
Andre Bondar named in the Top 50 “Young Guns of Wine” in Australia 2018 and 2020
Rayner Vineyard named in the Top 50 Vineyards in Australia 2021 (Young Gun of Wine)
Bondar Violet Hour Shiraz er lavet af håndplukket druer fra +65 år gamle stokke fra Rayner Vineyard i McLaren Vale. Som med alle andre Shiraz vine fra Bondar er denne gæret vildt hvoraf en del af vinen har ligget med klaserne (whole bunch – Ja tak!).
Næsen er decideret vanedannende og smagen er fuldstændig silkeagtig blød. Vinen er på en og samme tid intens og elegant. Ingen overmoden frugt her. Frugt, syrer, tannin og fad i total balance. Elegant Shiraz med nerve.
Nok er Violet Hour Shiraz den billigste Shiraz vi har fra Bondar – Men hos Bondar Wines Violet Hour Shiraz en allokationsvin, som kun frigives i små mængder til de heldige der er på husets allokationsliste.
Det forstår man jo egentlig godt, når en vin til den pris år efter år modtager hæder fra selv de mest konservative anmelder.
95 Points.
“Fragrant and vivid, this comes off Rayner vineyard blocks planted mainly to deep, sandy soils. Batches are fermented with varying levels of bunches, berries and time on skins; 10 months in seasoned oak. The aim is to express the perfume that sandy soil can yield in the fruit, framed but unobstructed by elaboration to bottle. And what a success it is. Blackberry, blueberry, cherry and damson plum scented with purple florals, anise and clove, a ferrous mineral note tempering. Mid-weight, supple of texture but shored up with a fine, detailed net of tannin – and that mineral tension – this is harmonious and poised, everything serenely balanced, unstretched. To echo an earlier review, this is a tremendous bargain. Drink by 2032"- Marcus Ellis, winecompanion.com.au.
2021 Vintage
97 point James Halliday
"Sourced from Rayner vineyard estate plantings dating back to 1947. Uncoils itself like a snake after a nap on a sunny afternoon, the colour rich and deep, as is every aspect of the wine on the lustrous bouquet and palate. Yet it's also a tapestry of silk and velvet, a little more than medium bodied. Bargain bonanza." - James Halliday (Halliday Wine Companion)
2020 Vintage
97 points James Halliday
Top 100 Wines 2021, James Halliday (The Weekend Australian Magazine)
“Sourced from Shiraz plantings dating back to 1947 ex the Rayner Vineyard. A beautiful wine in every dimension – its crimson colour, haunting perfumed bouquet, caressing the mouth with its perfectly ripened fruit, superfine tannins, and subtle but relevant oak. One of the great bargains.”
2019 Vintage
BEST ‘FULL FLAVOURED RED WINE’ 2019 Drinkeasy Awards
2018 Vintage
97 points James Halliday
Top 100 Wines 2019, James Halliday (The Weekend Australian Magazine)
“Fruit from Shiraz vines up to 70 years old, planted on our Rayner Vineyard on the southern edge of Blewitt Springs in McLaren Vale. This wine pays homage to the Bondar style with fragrance and a lightness of touch. We used whole bunches and extended time on skins, which helps to create that lightness, and adds dimensions of flavour and a silky mouth feel. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and minimal additions, aged in older French oak, Violet Hour should improve with grace over the next five years to ten years.”
2016 vintage:
BEST SHIRAZ at McLAREN VALE WINE SHOW 2017
BEST SMALL PRODUCER at McLAREN VALE WINE SHOW 2017
BEST SINGLE-VINEYARD SHIRAZ at McLAREN VALE WINE SHOW 2017
BEST SHIRAZ 2016 OR YOUNGER at McLAREN VALE WINE SHOW 2017
2017 vintage:
JAMES HALLIDAY 97 POINTS
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING:
· “Bondar is certainly a name worth becoming familiar with.” Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
· “Marquee McLaren Vale vineyard now in the hands of some really good people, really good winemakers. It’s a very exciting proposition. The resulting wines, so far, short as the tenure has been, have been great.” Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
· “There must be a bit of magic behind Bondar. All of the wines have an ethereal quality”- Jane Faulkner, James Halliday Wine Companion 2018
· James Halliday’s Best New Winery in his 2017 Australian Wine Companion
· Andre Bondar named in the Top 50 “Young Guns of Wine” in Australia 2018 and 2020
· Rayner Vineyard named in the Top 50 Vineyards in Australia 2021 (Young Gun of Wine)
Alkohol 14%
Ltr 75cl
Type Rødvin
Indeholder sulfitter
