This year, Andre Bondar sourced Nero d’Avola from two vineyards. Andre has been working with one of the sites for years, located in the Sellicks Foothills subregion behind Willunga, where the soil is rocky alluvial clay. Here, the vines sit at 100 metres, face west and give fruit with high-toned aromatics and soft, red berry character. The second site is located near Tatachilla, between Andre and Selina’s McLaren Vale home and the sea. This site's soil is black Biscay clay and gives a contrasting profile, with more density, darkness and structure. Being a warmer site, Tatachilla was picked first, followed three weeks later by Willunga. The Tatachilla fruit was destemmed and fermented for 12 days, while the Willunga fruit fermented as bunches for two weeks. Blending and bottling occurred in September.
Now in its sixth year, Andre Bondar continues to craft a youthful and fresh Nero that exudes youthful splendour. True to the season, the 2024 Nero is a cool, fresh, brightly flavoured wine with all the berry fruits, spice and earthy flavours inherent to the variety, backed up by lively acidity and a delicious savoury close. A joy to drink.