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This limited release of three barrels comes from fruit off the Lacey vineyard in Willunga, where rocky clay loam soils lie over the revered Kurrajong geology formation. When compared with the Rayner vineyard’s fine sands, Andre tells us that “the soils are more similar to parts of Bandol where they grow on rocks.” The 15-year-old vines are farmed with minimal inputs, and the winemaking follows a similar path, with hand-picking, no additions, and bottling unfined and unfiltered.
More commonly labelled Mourvèdre or Mataro, Monastrell is a hardy, thick-skinned grape that can produce big, big wines, yet Andre Bondar aims for a more finessed style. As he explains, “we found Mataro tends to have a reputation of being a big and tannic beast which is certainly not what we try to produce. Our Monastrell is made to be more medium bodied, yet to have all of the lovely spice and savoury notes.”
To this end, Andre and Selina have found that whole bunches in the ferment bring freshness to the wine and provide “a softer, more ethereal feel.” Bottled without fining or filtration after 15 months in used oak, it possesses a firmer structure than the silky personality of Bondar's other Rayner vineyard wines. That said, it still displays the characteristic fragrance and delightfully light touch of the Estate wines. This Monastrell is remarkably perfumed, with textured fresh fruits underlying more serious spice and depth and a lick of late, chewy tannin from the thick-skinned berries.