Bindi Wine Growers

The Bindi winery was established near the town of Gisbourne in 1988 by Michael's father Bill Dhillon. The name Bindi refers to Bill Dhillon's native home of India. The cool climate of the region made it clear to the Dhillons that the only thing that could possibly ripen on their property would be Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The first vines planted were Pinot Noir and the wine from these vines is now called "Original Vineyard" Pinot Noir. In 2005, the "Original Vineyard"  was acknowledged in the Langton's Classification of Australian Wines. The vineyard is made up of quartz with a thin layer of volcanic topsoil that makes these wines instantly recognizeable.

Bindi's original winemaker was Stuart Anderson, the man responsible for making the wines of Bendigo Wines, which were excellent when he was at the helm. Michael Dhillon served as assistant winemaker until 1998 when he took over the reins. Michael learned his craft working in Europe, where he spent time with the Champagne house of Jean Vesselle in Bouzy, with Allain Graillot in Croze-Hermitage, and in Tuscany at Tenuta di Valgiano. He also did a stint in Amador Country with Shenadoah Vineyards.

There are five wines in the Bindi portfolio and a Shiraz produced from purchased fruit from the neighboring Heathcote region. There are two Chardonnays: one called "Composition", the other "Quartz Vineyard." The "Quartz Vineyard" Chardonnay is from a small part of the vineyard that has the highest concentration of quartz, and is consistently superb every year, displaying racy acidity and an almost nervousness to it that needs a few years to soften out.

There are three Pinot Noirs, the first being the "Composition" Pinot Noir, which is comprised mostly of juice from the newest block, K Block. In time, Michael feels that this block may yield the best fruit on the estate. In the meantime, it is blended with juice that does not make the cut for the other two Pinots to make a reasonably priced and approachable wine. The other two vineyards are  the "Original Vineyard" and the "Block 5" . Each vineyard yields two entirely different wines. The Original Vineyard is more about perfume and soft fruit, whereas the Block 5 Pinot is usually a bit more dense and structured.