Bondar’s Hope Springs Eternal wines are sourced from vineyards that Andre and Selina consider among the best McLaren Vale sites for each given variety. In the case of Grenache, this means Blewitt Springs in deep sandy soils. Each vineyard must also sit at high elevation to adhere to Bondar’s preference for elegant, fine, quietly powerful wines. This wine used to be labelled Higher Springs Grenache.
Sue Trott’s Wilpena vineyard lies in the heart of Blewitt Springs. The vines were planted in 1952 and are dry-grown on deep sand. It faces steeply east—an uncommon aspect in McLaren Vale, but Bondar’s favoured—and thus misses out on much of the warm, late-afternoon sun. According to Bondar, the Trott vineyard tends towards a darker fruit profile than his Rayner site, alongside impressive power and structure.
To this end, the parcel was split into two ferments, one with 80% bunches and the other with 10%, to build fine structure and bring out the best of the site’s darker-fruited profile. The wine is bottled after 10 months in amphora and seasoned Stockinger demi-muid. The quality of the site, as well as 2023’s cool, fresh signature, shines through in this year’s release. It’s incredibly pure, with high-toned perfumed and a dense, focused, driving core with plenty of savoury depth.