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Bondar has made their Chardonnay from the same vineyard in the Adelaide Hills since 2013. The source is the 30-year-old Rathmine vineyard in Echunga, which sits 450 metres above sea level on stony, shallow clay loam over a limestone base. The fruit for the Bondar Chardonnay comes from east-facing Bernard clone vines. Though yields were down in 2022, the cool, even ripening conditions provided excellent quality fruit with tight structure and generous texture.
All of Bondar’s fruit is hand-picked in the cool of the early morning, whole-bunch pressed and fermented naturally in French oak (approximately 25% new). All barrels were allowed to go through malo until the balance of acidity was spot on. To preserve the fruit’s purity, there was no stirring of the lees.
It’s a great release: fresh and pure with aromas and flavours of stone fruits, grilled nuts, and plenty of malo and lees-derived depths. The palate is steely and intensely flavoured with invigorating phenolic tension, bracing acidity and driving length. It’s a classy, brilliantly composed Chardonnay with focus, clarity, and freshness.