Bondar Midnight Hour Shiraz 2022

The fruit for the Midnight Hour Shiraz is sourced from two blocks in Andre Bondar and Selina Kelly’s own Rayner Vineyard. Planted in 1960 and 1990 on the Seaview side of the vineyard on red/brown clay over limestone, these vines are farmed using organic principles and without irrigation where possible. The soil type and age of the vines result in smaller, more open canopies that allow for lots of sunlight to reach the developing bunches. This in turn ensures that stems used in the fermentation are lignified, furthering the complexity in the finished wine.

A wet Spring lead to strong vine growth and it was warm during flowering which resulted in good fruit set and healthy yields. Then, mild conditions in January and February provided the ideal ripening conditions culminating in what Andre describes as a vintage that “could be one of the greater vintages of the last decade”.