Producer Article
Bindi
Last edited on 6/17/2023 by LindsayM
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‘Bindi’, 50 kilometers north-west of Melbourne in the Macedon Ranges, is the family property of the Dhillon family. Originally purchased in the 1950s as part of the larger grazing farm ‘Bundaleer’, ‘Bindi’ is a 170 hectare farm of which 6 hectares are planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Fifteen hectares are dedicated to managed plantation eucalypts for high grade furniture timber whilst the remainder of the land is maintained as remnant bush land and important indigenous grasslands.
The Bindi vineyard is the fundamental focus of our endeavors. Our vineyard and winemaking philosophy is to seek balance and purity in the expression of our various individual vineyard sites and this philosophy is applied to farming and conservation at ‘Bindi’; the preservation of the natural harmony.
Featured on the Bindi label is Kostas Rind (1909 - 1983). In the words of Bill Dhillon: "Kostas Rind was a Lithuanian sage who epitomised wisdom and humility. From a migrant hostel in Albury, this mathematician and former professor was recruited to Ballarat Boys Grammar School. Kostas taught me much. He introduced me to wine. I was privileged to know Kostas and am very grateful for his influence. We continue to dedicate Bindi wines to Kostas."
Vineyard
Plantings
Chardonnay in 1988
Quartz Chardonnay in 1988
Original Vineyard Pinot Noir in 1988
Block Five Pinot Noir in 1992
Block K Pinot Noir in 2001
Chardonnay two hectares
Pinot Noir four hectares
Vineyard elevation 500 meters above sea level. Soils predominantly shattered quartz over siltstone, sandstone and clay (Ordovician period sub soils-480 million years old) with some eroded volcanic top soil over clay (Approximately four millions years old). Generally unfertile.
Production ranges from 1,800-3,000 dozen bottles per vintage.
Yields typically 1.5 to 2 tonnes per acre (3.5 to 5.0 tonnes per hectare).
Typical hand management regimes of fastidious small vineyard philosophies are maintained encompassing hand pruning, frequent passes (at least ten passes each vine) though the growing season managing the vertical shoot positioned canopy and hand harvesting.
Increasingly low impact, organic outcomes are being trialled and implemented. This involves undervine mowing and aerating the soil (opening up the soil for air, moisture and soil applications).
Winemaking
Vigneron: Michael Dhillon
Winemaking: Michael Dhillon with Stuart Anderson consulting
Our fermentations occour without addition of yeast, yeast nutrient or enzyme. Unsettled Chardonnay juice goes straight to barrel, reds are gently worked, delicate pressing, long lees ageing in French barrels and minimal racking. No fining and restricted filtration regimes are followed.
Bindi vineyards
The Bindi vineyards are at an elevation of 500 meters above sea level, high for Australia. The soils are predominantly shattered quartz over siltstone, sandstone, and clay with some eroded volcanic topsoil over clay, which are generally infertile. Despite the size of the property, only a small amount is planted to vines, around seven hectares.
In 1988, Bindi planted the Kostas Rind Chardonnay Vineyard and the Quartz Chardonnay Vineyard. These two constitute two hectares in total, while the remaining five are devoted to Pinot Noir (Dhillon also sources some Shiraz from Heathcote for his Pyrette Syrah). The Original Vineyard, also planted in 1988, is devoted to Pinot Noir. In 1992, the famous Block 5 Pinot Noir vineyard was planted and then in 2001 Block K Pinot Noir.
Then we have the two latest exciting additions. The Darshan Vineyard in 2014 (a single acre) and Block 8 (just 1.9 acres) in 2016. Both of these are high-density vineyards with 11,300 vines per hectare in 1.1 x 0.8 m spacing. Dhillon has planted a small percentage of both vineyards with an even higher density: 22,600 vines per hectare.
Dhillon describes the soil in the Darshan Vineyard as “less dramatic” than that found in Block 8. It is a more even quartz, while Block 8 has a strong quartz influence at the top and more volcanic loam in the lower parts.
Dhillon has two more vineyards to plant and is hoping to do so within the next 18 to 24 months. There will be another acre of Pinot Noir, a continuation around the slope of Block 8. It will likely be medium density, around 5,000 to 6,000 vines/hectare. Those grapes are likely to form part of the Dixon Pinot. The second is 1.5 acres devoted to Chardonnay. It is on the quartz rise – in fact, the vineyard is so heavily dominated by quartz that Dhillon refers to it as Bindi’s “ultra-quartz” vineyard. This will sit separately. The vine density will range from around 5,000 to an astonishing 44,000 vines per hectare.
This focus on the single vineyards and their individual terroir is very much in the Burgundian tradition.
As for clones, Dhillon uses MV6, 115, Abel, 667, and in cool years 777. Some winemakers throw clones around like confetti. For Dhillon, “Lots of clones are a good thing if they are good clones.” For him, there are around five to seven clones that work, but others will do good things in certain conditions, though he believes that the clones lose their impact with age.
‘Bindi’, 50 kilometers north-west of Melbourne in the Macedon Ranges, is the family property of the Dhillon family. Originally purchased in the 1950s as part of the larger grazing farm ‘Bundaleer’, ‘Bindi’ is a 170 hectare farm of which 6 hectares are planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Fifteen hectares are dedicated to managed plantation eucalypts for high grade furniture timber whilst the remainder of the land is maintained as remnant bush land and important indigenous grasslands.
The Bindi vineyard is the fundamental focus of our endeavors. Our vineyard and winemaking philosophy is to seek balance and purity in the expression of our various individual vineyard sites and this philosophy is applied to farming and conservation at ‘Bindi’; the preservation of the natural harmony.
Featured on the Bindi label is Kostas Rind (1909 - 1983). In the words of Bill Dhillon: "Kostas Rind was a Lithuanian sage who epitomised wisdom and humility. From a migrant hostel in Albury, this mathematician and former professor was recruited to Ballarat Boys Grammar School. Kostas taught me much. He introduced me to wine. I was privileged to know Kostas and am very grateful for his influence. We continue to dedicate Bindi wines to Kostas."
Vineyard
Plantings
Chardonnay in 1988
Quartz Chardonnay in 1988
Original Vineyard Pinot Noir in 1988
Block Five Pinot Noir in 1992
Block K Pinot Noir in 2001
Chardonnay two hectares
Pinot Noir four hectares
Vineyard elevation 500 meters above sea level. Soils predominantly shattered quartz over siltstone, sandstone and clay (Ordovician period sub soils-480 million years old) with some eroded volcanic top soil over clay (Approximately four millions years old). Generally unfertile.
Production ranges from 1,800-3,000 dozen bottles per vintage.
Yields typically 1.5 to 2 tonnes per acre (3.5 to 5.0 tonnes per hectare).
Typical hand management regimes of fastidious small vineyard philosophies are maintained encompassing hand pruning, frequent passes (at least ten passes each vine) though the growing season managing the vertical shoot positioned canopy and hand harvesting.
Increasingly low impact, organic outcomes are being trialled and implemented. This involves undervine mowing and aerating the soil (opening up the soil for air, moisture and soil applications).
Winemaking
Vigneron: Michael Dhillon
Winemaking: Michael Dhillon with Stuart Anderson consulting
Our fermentations occour without addition of yeast, yeast nutrient or enzyme. Unsettled Chardonnay juice goes straight to barrel, reds are gently worked, delicate pressing, long lees ageing in French barrels and minimal racking. No fining and restricted filtration regimes are followed.
Bindi vineyards
The Bindi vineyards are at an elevation of 500 meters above sea level, high for Australia. The soils are predominantly shattered quartz over siltstone, sandstone, and clay with some eroded volcanic topsoil over clay, which are generally infertile. Despite the size of the property, only a small amount is planted to vines, around seven hectares.
In 1988, Bindi planted the Kostas Rind Chardonnay Vineyard and the Quartz Chardonnay Vineyard. These two constitute two hectares in total, while the remaining five are devoted to Pinot Noir (Dhillon also sources some Shiraz from Heathcote for his Pyrette Syrah). The Original Vineyard, also planted in 1988, is devoted to Pinot Noir. In 1992, the famous Block 5 Pinot Noir vineyard was planted and then in 2001 Block K Pinot Noir.
Then we have the two latest exciting additions. The Darshan Vineyard in 2014 (a single acre) and Block 8 (just 1.9 acres) in 2016. Both of these are high-density vineyards with 11,300 vines per hectare in 1.1 x 0.8 m spacing. Dhillon has planted a small percentage of both vineyards with an even higher density: 22,600 vines per hectare.
Dhillon describes the soil in the Darshan Vineyard as “less dramatic” than that found in Block 8. It is a more even quartz, while Block 8 has a strong quartz influence at the top and more volcanic loam in the lower parts.
Dhillon has two more vineyards to plant and is hoping to do so within the next 18 to 24 months. There will be another acre of Pinot Noir, a continuation around the slope of Block 8. It will likely be medium density, around 5,000 to 6,000 vines/hectare. Those grapes are likely to form part of the Dixon Pinot. The second is 1.5 acres devoted to Chardonnay. It is on the quartz rise – in fact, the vineyard is so heavily dominated by quartz that Dhillon refers to it as Bindi’s “ultra-quartz” vineyard. This will sit separately. The vine density will range from around 5,000 to an astonishing 44,000 vines per hectare.
This focus on the single vineyards and their individual terroir is very much in the Burgundian tradition.
As for clones, Dhillon uses MV6, 115, Abel, 667, and in cool years 777. Some winemakers throw clones around like confetti. For Dhillon, “Lots of clones are a good thing if they are good clones.” For him, there are around five to seven clones that work, but others will do good things in certain conditions, though he believes that the clones lose their impact with age.