Bindi Block 8 Pinot Noir 2021
I first met winemaker Michael Dhillon, of Bindi Wines back in 1996 when I did vintage at a nearby winery in the Macedon Ranges. Michael's fanatical pursuit of perfection culminated in him being recognised as Winemaker of the Year for 2022 in James Halliday's Annual Wine Companion Awards. I've enjoyed many of Michael's wines over the years and am pleased to still have a few (but not enough!) of them in my cellar.
Michael produces sublime chardonnay and pinot noir from his own vineyards, as well as a shiraz from Heathcote, and most recently a Col Mountain grenache.
"The Block 8 vineyard is 3/4 of a hectare in size on a sheltered, north-west facing, and very quartz riddled site with some fertile volcanic soils. The eighth block planted at Bindi has a grandstand exposition sweeping down the mid slope. Here there are mostly 11,300 vines per hectare with a Crazy section at 22,600 vines per hectare featuring seven clones. The wines from this vineyard are compelling and delicious when young and as history has shown, going back to the 1992 Bindi Pinot Noir, the wines age exceptionally well from the beginning and drink beautifully for a long time.The wine spends 15-17 months in French barrels of which about 50% are new. The Block 8 wine has exceptional fruit depth and earthiness and is intensely structured, very long and ageworthy. Production typically varies from 125-200 dozen per vintage."
Winemaker Michael Dhillon's notes.
"Bottom line first, when I first encountered this wine, I thought it the equal of any Pinot I had seen made in Australia. Looking again, I have no reason to alter that conclusion, at all. This is a brilliant wine. We will see releases from 2019 and 2020 in the years to come (’19 my pick of those two). Block 8 is 0.75 hectares, with close planting, around 11,300 vines/hectare, although there is a section at an amazing 22,600 vines/hectare, with seven clones. Production quantities are similar to Block 5. The wine spends almost a year and a half in French barrels, around half new. From a brilliant vintage, as we have surely seen, the wine is a vibrant and almost lurid purple. There is perhaps a hint more oak obvious here than in some of the other releases at this early stage, giving pleasing nutmeg notes. The wine is still extremely youthful with aromatics including black fruits, cassis, bergamot and blueberries. There is fine and quite vibrant acidity, knife-edge balance and stunning length. Showing early complexity, this will surely drink beautifully over the next ten to fifteen years. What a glorious Pinot."
99 points, Ken Gargett, Winepilot.
| SKU | 1BINDBLKEIGHT21 |
| Brand | Bindi |
| Shipping Weight | 1.5000kg |
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