A serious Chardonnay in terms of complexity and finesse, yet eminently drinkable as a young wine.
Andre Bondar, Owner/winemaker
About The Wine
Since his time working at Nepenthe, Andre Bondar has loved Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. Now, with his own label, he has the chance to make it just the way he likes it.
He found a cool little vineyard in Echunga, at 400m ASL, had the fruit picked by hand, pressed it as whole bunches and sent it to barrel to ferment at its own pace. Nine months later, this gorgeous little wine emerged. I tell you what, for a bloke who owns a vineyard in the heart of 'big reds' country, he knows his way around a Chardonnay as well as anyone.
The 2017 release is pure and unadorned with overt oak or artifice. A truly lovely wine and yet another success for this impressive McLaren Vale outfit.
About Bondar
Bondar is the baby of husband-and-wife team Andre Bondar and Selina Kelly, and winners of the 2017 Australian Wine Companion’s Best New Winery.
They have purchased the famous Rayner vineyard in McLaren Vale, crafting stunning Shiraz and Grenache from here, along with beautifully pure Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. I’ll leave it to them to describe what their extremely exciting venture is all about: “Our vision has always been to make wines that create a little intrigue, that are a little different. We want to make wines that are bright, structured, mid-weight yet concentrated in flavour with a savoury element.”
Super value, tiny production and delicious to drink!

Rayner Vineyard, McLaren Vale