96-point Shiraz by ex-Graillot, 'Winemaker of the Year' Finalist - exclusive, one-off shipment!
“The value here has always been super keen and that’s as true as ever with this iteration. Excellent!”
- 96 points, The Wine Companion
Bondar 'Violet Hour' Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia 2023
Bondar in a nutshell:
‘Winemaker of the Year 2024’ - Halliday’s Wine Companion (finalist)
Takes over the McLaren Vale ‘Rayner Vineyard’ planted in 1947
‘Young Gun of the Year 2020’ – Halliday’s Wine Companion (finalist)
Assistant winemaker at Alain Graillot in the Northern Rhone
Previous vintages:
2022 vintage – 95 points: “This is a tremendous bargain.”
2021 vintage – 97 points: “Bargain bonanza.”
2020 vintage – 97 points: “One of the great bargains.”
The Bondar ‘Violet Hour’ Shiraz, our dashing new discovery from McLaren Vale, has just landed and we couldn’t be more excited. A friend of ours, with a fabulous collection of Australian wines, gave us the tip-off, but by the time we made contact with the winery, they were down to their last pallet and it took a fair bit of persuasion for them to agree to part with it, as they sell out domestically every year, but they were keen to see the wine in the UK, so to cut a long story short: ta da!
The ‘Violet Hour’ is a term that was coined by the essayist and cocktail enthusiast, Bernard DeVoto, to describe the period of transition from day to evening and the pleasures to be found in coming together with friends for pre-dinner drinks (not to be confused with the ‘Violent Hour’, which comes shortly after closing time at Wetherspoons). I find it very evocative, a moment of impending change, from light to dark, bittersweet with both promise and passing.
There’s a bittersweet quality to this Shiraz too (and, still, the writing awards don’t come!) with its lustrous blackcurrant perfume and its darker notes of black tea and Malabar peppercorns that reminds me of a really fine Crozes-Hermitage (which is no coincidence, as you will see). On the palate, inky black cherry and damson are held in a supple, medium-bodied frame, with surprisingly light tannins and a mineral tension that keeps the wine vivid and succulent, leaning much more towards the northern Rhone than archetypal Ozzie Shiraz [winemaker, Andre Bondar, worked with one of the most revered winemakers in the Northern Rhone, Alain Graillot, which goes some of the way to explaining his lifted, ethereal style].
It's a wine that you can take enormous pleasure in now, while knowing that it will evolve over the coming decade, shapeshifting into something more molten and mellow. As I say, it’s not the sort of Australian Shiraz that leaps out of the glass, gives you a wedgie and steals your lunch money, it’s really quite subtle and intricate and strong on detail. Enjoy it during the hours when day slides gently into night, whatever they call that. 14% alc. Sourced from the ‘Rayner’ vineyard, planted in 1947 (named in the ‘Top 50 Vineyards in Australia’). Aged for 10 months in seasoned oak. Drink now-2036.
Bondar 'Violet Hour' Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia 2023
6 bottles - £131.70 (£21.95/bt)
12 bottles - £239.40 (£19.95/bt)
buy online here
Press review:
The Australian Wine Companion: “The value here has always been super keen and that’s as true as ever with this iteration from a cool year, typically lifted and fragrant but also with some serious import. A tick up from mid-weight, this is spicy and peppered, ferruginous minerality, along with blackberry, dark cherries, tapenade, violet, cassia, bay, coffee bean and salted liquorice. Red berries swell up on the palate, with a thoughtfully woven skein of tannins underwriting its class. Excellent! 14% alc." 96 points
Bondar Wines was set up in 2013 by husband-and-wife team, Andre Bondar and Selina Kelly (pictured above). It began with a couple of friends and family members, hand-picking tiny amounts of Shiraz and Chardonnay and labelling their tiny production for local distribution, before an opportunity arose in 2014 to acquire the magnificent ‘Rayner’ Vineyard (photo below).
As mentioned, Andrew worked at Alain Graillot in the Northern Rhone, renowned for producing serene cuvées of Crozes-Hermitage, and brings a similar ethereal quality to his own Syrah in the McLaren Vale. The vision was (and remains) “to make wines that are bright, pure, finely structured, mid-weight yet concentrated in flavour, with a savoury element”. They use organic practices across the property and are members of the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia program and the EcoVineyards project.
"For me, wine is about food, friends and family and should reflect place and enhance experience. I like my wines to be delicious, but also to be interesting; that little bit different to stand apart from the norm."
The Rayner Vinyard, with the Bondar winery in the foreground