The Australian wine world, unlike most of Europe, is based upon regional blends as wines. In the past ten to twenty years, a few remarkable individuals started the trend of making individualistic wines from specific sites. Such examples are Henschke’s Hill of Grace Shiraz in the Eden Valley, Jasper Hill’s Emily’s Paddock in Heathcote and the Wendouree wines of the Clare Valley. These are wines that come from a certain site; they are terroir driven wines made by terroirists.

Michael Dhillon from Bindi wines is also an example of how well certain varieties can be grown on sites which happen to be perfectly suited for those varieties. In the case of Bindi, the varieties are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The Bindi winery was established near the town of Gisbourne in 1988 by Michael’s father Bill Dhillon. The name Bindi came from the ornamental dot worn on the foreheads of women in India, Bill Dhillon’s native home. The cool climate of the region made it clear to the Dhillons that the only grapes that could possibly ripen on their property would be Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The first vines planted were Pinot Noir and the wine from these vines is now called Original Vineyard Pinot Noir. In 2005, the Original Vineyard Pinot Noir was acknowledged in Langton’s Classification of Australian Wines. The vineyard is made up of quartz, with a thin layer of volcanic topsoil that makes these wines instantly recognizable. Bindi’s original winemaker was Stuart Anderson, the man who was responsible for much of the resurgence in the area, and who planted the Balgownie Vineyard in 1969. Michael Dhillon served as assistant winemaker until 1998 when he took over the reins. Michael learned his craft working vintages in Europe, where he spent time with the Champagne house of Jean Vesselle in Bouzy, with Allain Graillot in Croze-Hermitage, and in Tuscany at Tenuta di Valgiano. He also did a stint in Amador County with Shenadoah Vineyards.