5 STAR WINERY RATING – WINE COMPANION
In Gisborne, perched in the lofty cool of the Macedon Ranges, Michael Dhillon’s family’s vineyard was a pioneering one. It was not the region’s first, but it is arguably now its most revered. Macedon, until relatively recently, was celebrated as much for potential as excellence, with a handful of makers, and Bindi in the vanguard, consistently reminding that greatness was achievable. The site, which is largely dedicated to remnant bushland, only has plantings of chardonnay and pinot noir, with Michael making additions to the 1988 vines with two high-density (11,300 plants per hectare) pinot noir blocks that are now at meaningful maturity. Michael turns out excellent shiraz (Pyrette) and grenache from Heathcote, both red and rosé, under the Dhillon label, but the home vineyard’s planting scheme betrays his deep affinity with Burgundy. He now makes six block-specific pinots, alongside two chardonnays (including the perennially excellent Quartz), with all the wines deeply individual and of the very highest calibre. WINE COMPANION
