2023 Bondar Hope Springs Eternal Blewitt Springs Grenache

96 Points, Gary Walsh (TWF) - "Formerly Higher Springs, but now Hope Springs Eternal. The suspension is killing me. I did my own bottle image, because it looks nice and I could not find one elsewhere. This is from 1952 plantings on the Trott Vineyard. 70% whole bunch. Ten months in anfora and one seasoned 600L Stockinger barrel. Nice. That’s the way you do it. 778 bottles produced. We have reviewed 66 McLaren Vale Grenache wines from the 2023 vintage – HERE – and this sits near the top. As an aside I just opened a bottle of CM’s 97 point 2023 Bulman Gary’s Grenache (Whaite Vineyard, Blewitt Springs) just to check in. They are both lovely wines. The Bulman more to Etna/Pinot Noir (lighter colour, spicy, aromatic, green-flecked, light, pumice stone and the like), the Bondar more to Barbaresco (darker, earthier, more silty in tannin). “With great power comes great responsibility.”  Well, that’s Spiderman’s philosophy, though in this case I will go with Jeff Fenech “I love youse all.”It’s tea time. Here we have rosehip and Earl Grey tea, dusty spices, blackcurrant and raspberry, mint and thyme, hazelnut paste, something stony with a waft of petrichor (happy for you to pop me in Pseuds Corner, but that’s how it seems). Medium-bodied at most, spicy, a pomegranate tang through a dark fruit profile, crushed stone tannin, orange peel, something of a Barbaresco thing happening here too (again, don’t mind me), with a peppery and dusty finish of excellent length. Wonderful wine. Beautifully made. Specific."