I have been a fan of Bindi wines for 5 or 6 years and a regular collector of the Bindi Dixon which has continued to be an outstanding representation of the best Pinot Noir from the Macedon region of Victoria.
But there is something special about the 2021 release that lifts it above recent releases to something close to extraordinary, especially when you note that this wine retails at $75 per bottle.
“There are six pinot noirs, the most Bindi has ever produced from a single vintage, and the quality is very even, the style of the wines stunningly elegant, seamless and charming, but also profound. Charming pinot noir of depth is not that easy to find.”
Huon Hooke, The Real Review Feb 2023
THE WINERY
The Bindi vineyard is located 50 kilometres to the north-west of Melbourne in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria. Originally purchased in the 1950s by the Dhillon family (as part of the larger grazing farm ‘Bundaleer’), there are 7 hectares are planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
WINE MAKING
The Bindi Dixon Pinot Noir is based upon declassified grapes from the Original Vineyard planted in 1988 and grapes from the new Block K, planted in 2001. The ideal of this wine is to produce a delicious, perfumed, spicy harmonious, textured wine that is not as intense, complex nor ageworthy as our individual vineyard wines. Even when the outstanding Block K vines are older we will continue to declassify sections or barrels from each vineyard and produce this wine.
“Few Australians come closer to the Burgundy model of the vigneron than Michael Dhillon of Bindi (pictured). Working entirely with a single, 6ha (hectare), cool-climate vineyard, Dhillon crafts spectacularly refined, delicate, compact and multi-layered Chardonnays (and Pinot Noirs) of great precision.”
Decanter Magazine
The wine is fermented the same way as our other Pinot Noirs in that it is ostensibly 100% de-stemmed and gently worked in small open vats. The wine spends 10 months in French barrels, of which 25% is new French oak.
Production varies from 500-700 dozen per vintage.
THE WINE TASTING
The first sip of this wine opens up with fragrant strawberry and cherry with a delicious classic sour depth that builds a structure of spice and toasty notes of cedar and a fine minerality that holds with beautiful length. There are hints of pepper and spice but nothing overwhelming, this wine is complex but also beautifully seamless, there is nothing harsh in the drinking, there is nothing but pleasure. Wine maker Michael Dhillon has speculated that 2021 is potentially the best year so far for Bindi (and I am absolutely in agreement) noting that potentially places it above the highly rated 2019 Bindi Dixon. Reviewer Jane Faulkner rated the 2019 release 97/100 points for the Halliday Wine Companion.
“At length, having exhausted myself tasting and re-tasting, I just had to come to the conclusion that these are all stunning wines”
Huon Hooke, The Real Review Feb 2023
FACTS
Price | $75 AUD
Grapes | Pinot Noir
Oak | French Oak 10 months
Alcohol | 13.5%
Closure | Cork
pH | –
REVIEWS
94/100 points – Mike Bennie – The Wine Front
96/100 points – Huon Hooke – The Real Review
96/100 points – Crispin Blackall – Almanak Magazine