Bindi - Macedon Ranges

As is normal, each barrel was filled directly from the press tray and a small amount of So2 was added. The wild yeast generally take five days to begin to ferment the sugars and most barrels took five to six weeks to complete the fermentation. The wine spent 11 months in barrel. Every so often we fall in love with a particular wine. Of course we enjoy and admire each of the wines in every year for their personality and delicious nature but every so often there's a wine that really captures our affection. The 2019 Kostas Rind Chardonnay is one such wine. This wine gives and hides, has forward characters and as well as restraint. There are the usual floral and blossom aromas mixed with citrus, spice and chalkiness. There is a lovely depth of stone fruit concentration. The palate is initially supple then intensifies and brightens and has beautiful texture, harmony and length. It really is very delicious! This is the 29th wine from this vineyard (Est. 1988) and we can comfortably say it will improve for six to ten years and drink well over a 15 to 20 year window. Michael Dhillon, Bindi

A bottle of this was opened all of 2 hours after the wine arriving into stock. It’s a Chardonnay to contemplate and to watch evolve over time in the glass. Certainly over the few hours we had it open, the wine revealed itself more and more and changed shape (with temperature also playing an important role). There is a lot going on here: white flowers and some citrus on the nose, a palate of crackling acidity and nerve, some stone fruit, and then layer upon layer of meal, oat and nut. It has a deep concentration and an effortless delivery of flavour.  Ches Cook, FWC.

A more relaxed feel to Kostas Rind from this release. Lots of interest, just this textural feel that I haven’t seen for a while. Lovely stuff. Supple and mellow in its vibe but dances with its light and lacy flavours and pretty scents. Lots of just-ripe stone fruit, lemon balm, soft talc-like minerally characters, faint Parisian almond and halva with a building core of grapefruity acidity that rolls long through the cool and brittle-bright finish. It’s gentle in a way, speaks softy, a little unassured, let’s say. In all that, a comforting, gentle approach and gigantic appeal; this misses nothing in its roll call of detail. Very good drinking, even right now. 95 Points – Mike Bennie, The Wine Front. Drink 2020-2028. 

The 2019 Dixon spent 11 months in barrel and was bottled in early March. This is a deep and layered Dixon, a composition from the original 1988 planting and the 2001 Kaye vineyard. It is very youthful and ideally needs six to twelve months bottle age. At this point it is most delicious on the second and third days after opening. There are layers of red and dark berries intermixed with spices, earth and flint. There are delicious floral and undergrowth nuances that rise with breathing. The palate is powerful and full with ripe, smooth tannins and gentle acidity keeping the fruit bright and the palate clean and balanced. The first wine from these areas was in 2004 and it and the subsequent wines are all delicious to drink today. So, when is best to drink this wine? A glass today, two tomorrow and two the next day. Or from mid 2021 and beyond. Michael Dhillon, Bindi

Michael’s note above pretty much sums this wine up perfectly. There is plenty of weight and body to this Pinot with a core of clean, dark berried fruit. It carries spice with an aperol/amoro kicker and will be a wine that lives for 15-20 years. Older examples out of dad’s cellar always blow us away, especially considering this is Michael’s ‘entry level’ Pinot…  Ches Cook, FWC.

The Wine Formerly Known As Composition. I do like the personalisation of the wines, increasingly, from Bindi. Vigneron Michael Dhillon does few actions without meaning. It’s a mix of declassified Original and new K Block fruit. I tried all four (new) pinot noir releases blind, initially, and Dixon was very, very impressive. Indeed, when I showed the wines to others, this was the one drunk the most, even with Block 5 in the mix. It invites you into a sense of gusto. It’s a forward and obvious wine but inviting and delicious. Chock full of dark cherry, kirsch, bay leaf and anise, layered with light clove and cedar character and feeling proud, full and generous. It sits on the palate with generosity but freshness, slick texture, a fresh, minerally, cool finish with a roll of chompy tannin. It feels prouder and bolder than most Bindi wines, but it finds easy communion with pleasure. 94 Points – Mike Bennie, The Wine Front. Drink 2020-2030.