2023 Bondar Hope Springs Eternal Shiraz

Andre & Selina have had a great relationship with the team at Yangarra since Selina worked there in the time before their own label came to life. So when Dre asked Michael Lane, the viticulturist at Yangarra & Hickinbotham, if he could play with a small parcel of Shiraz fruit from their spectacular terraced Clarendon Vineyard, Lane happily obliged.

This is hands down one of the best Shiraz wines ever made by Andre. It's stunning purple fruited and floral aromatic is tamed by an inherent earthiness, it's coiled and controlled and really one of the best Shiraz expression we've seen from the area in some time.

Forgive us for the comparison but it almost has a St Joseph styling for those who are familiar with that particular pocket of the Rhone Valley. Suffice to say it is a remarkably good wine.

95 points
"Dark, plummy red in the glass. Fragrant and lifted aromas of spice, bramble, earth, charcuterie, sarsaparilla, blueberry, forest floor and an earthy woodsiness. Full-bodied, punchy and crunchy on the palate. Blue and dark fruits, snappy acidity, granular, grippy tannins and sappy spice are all at play. Long, textured, layered and complex."
- Aaron Brasher (The Real Review)

96 points
"The carefully crafted tannic matrix is a standout. This is stunning now, but it feels like a sleeper, with the score likely inadequate."
- Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)"