96 points - "From the Hickinbotham vineyard, planted in '71 and managed under biodynamic and organic certification. This is effectively the second year for this wine, though the cuvée name is new, christening a range that explores sites outside of the home vineyard that Andre and Selina believe excel. Elegant and lifted, dry spiced and red fruited, eschewing heft for refinement, this is a deeply layered wine, both in flavour and structural architecture, with pervasive yet not intrusive ferrous and graphite notes. 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)

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)

94 points - "It feels as though there’s good volume here because the fruit and tannin spreads through the finish. In general it’s medium bodied. It tastes of toast, smoked meat, undergrowth and plums, with peppercorn, violet and graphite as afters. There’s a surliness to this wine but then the finish has such excellent carry. This needs to be left along a while but it’s very good." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

Hope Springs Eternal is a new project for Bondar, with the vision to produce great, elegant, age-worthy wine from vineyard sites we believe to be among the best for the variety in the region.

The first release includes a Grenache from the Trott Wilpena vineyard high in Blewitt Springs, and a Shiraz from the esteemed Hickinbotham vineyard in Clarendon. And really the heart of these wines is altitude. The vineyard sites sit higher than Rayner, their elevation offering cool nights and warm days — conditions that extend the ripening season and nurture fruit with finesse, concentration, complexity, and beautiful natural acidity.