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The fruit for this wine comes from the Rathmine Vineyard, which sits south of the tourist town of Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills. The Bondar family have worked with this grower for over 10 years, making stunning wines from the amphitheatre-shaped site. The vineyard is planted to Bernard 76 clones which are reaching 30 years old. Under the earth, the roots seep through shallow clay into limey rocks and a limestone base—a perfect foundation for Chardonnay.
Andre and Selina hand-pick the grapes and press them slowly, not shying away from oxygen. They ferment with natural yeast in large barrels (25% new) at warmer temperatures to “encourage a richer mouthfeel and nutty, complex flavours.” The wine stayed in oak until December, then moved to tank until February. This has the poise and intensity of topflight Australian Chardonnay down to a tee, with zaps of flinty minerality at the core, wrapped in ripe citrus and stone fruit flesh. An elegant revival of a more textural South Australian Chardonnay, with restraint and precision at its core.