Bindi, the small Macedon Ranges estate that stands among the most quietly significant names in Australian fine wine. Founded in 1988 by Bill Dhillon and run today by his son Michael, the family farm near Gisborne has only 7 hectares planted, to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, on quartz-strewn soils at around 500 metres elevation. It sits among the handful of producers who pioneered site-specific, terroir-driven bottling in an industry that was, at the time, built on regional blends. Under Michael Dhillon, the estate has become a national reference point: the Quartz and Kostas Rind Chardonnays and the block-designate Pinot Noirs from sites like Original Vineyard and Block 5 are among the most elegant and ageworthy wines in the country, made in quantities small enough to sell out locally many times over. Having helped establish the Macedon Ranges as serious cool-climate Pinot and Chardonnay country, Bindi has gone on to set the standard others in the region now measure themselves against.

'A half plus a half makes a whole' — Michael Dhillon

The 2023 and 2024 vintages could hardly be more differently, and both have arrived in short supply. 2023 was a cool, wet and late season in the Macedon Ranges, made by a sunny, warm autumn of golden days and cool nights. The result is wines of delicacy and restraint, fine-boned and elegant, with the clear acidity and length the region is known for. 2024 was cool again overall, running to low sugars and high acids, but it brought ripe, bright Pinots and Chardonnays of excellent concentration over cool acidity, and drew real enthusiasm from the region's growers.

Both years also cropped very low. Where Michael aims for around two tonnes per acre, 2023 and 2024 each came in at roughly half that. In the cool 2023 season, those small crops gave the vineyards the means to deliver intensity, complexity and structure that fuller yields would have stretched. In the warmer 2024, they brought density and power, a wine carried by far more than weight of fruit alone. Yields being too little in either vintage for Michael to offer each on its own, he has released the two together across Darshan, Block 8 and Block 5.

Superb value Dhillon wines next to the 2024 & 2023 Block Pinot Noirs

Pure and refined, with striking clarity of fruit. Bright red-fruited notes of cherries, bitter liqueur, red apple skins and dried strawberries, lifted by crushed stones and spices. The palate is tightly wound, with a strong core of fruit and layers of complexity waiting to be revealed with time in bottle, though already drinking beautifully. Super-complex and powerful, carried by a light and delicate touch. Excellent.

Small yields in ’24, which is heartbreaking, and yet the top wines, including this, are quite spectacular. All the aromas and flavours of the site are on display with some amplification – blood orange and Campari, warm earth and autumn leaves, red/black cherries and pips. There’s a light taste of stems and beetroot, plus exotic spices. The palate fleshes out to medium bodied, with supple if plentiful tannins layered with pops of sweetness and a tang to the acidity. Beautifully defined. You’d be gleeful to drink this today, but Block 5 is so much better with time.