Bindi 2013 Block 5 Pinot Noir

There is no such thing as perfection in wine. The moment you reach your personal nirvana, a new level has been arrived at elsewhere. In place of perfection, there are perfectionists, who give us the closest thing to perfection we can get. Michael Dhillon at Bindi, along with his dad, is one of those perfectionists.

Bindi is a boutique operation in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria. Not much more than an hour or so from Melbourne in any direction you will find good pinot noir. The Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula regions to the East and South, Bellarine and Otways to the South West are all synonymous with great pinot.

Macedon and the nearby regions are more known for spicy chewy Shiraz, zippy new world Chardonnay, Verdelho, Viognier and Grenache. Bindi changes this perception of Pinot perfection for us with this stunning wine. Block 5 is a small, sheltered north facing block with muddy quartz laden soil producing 150-200 dozen per vintage when its good. This is not so much good as a kind of oral ecstasy.

The nose is all powerful dark red fruit and vanilla and spice. It is deep, rich, intentional and yet somewhat restrained. It demands patience. Occasionally I drag out the hand blown Pinot glasses for a good wine, over the every day pinot glasses. It's possibly wrong I have so many but at the rate I break them, perhaps not. But I digress.

The wine is all at once robust, powerful, firm yet fresh and lively. It dances delicately around the mouth causing parts to tingle, with stunning richness and soft velvety tannins. There is a presence of oak which, while necessary is neither dominant nor does it overawe. Imagine a strong male ballet dancer dominating the stage but in a way that is beautiful and emotive. This is how I react to this wine.

Far from an every day Scoff, this is a special occasion wine, unless every day is a special occasion for you. It will cellar further and one can only imagine what the second bottle will look like in another 4-5 years. This is truly an exceptional gift of a wine from Michael Dhillon and a drinking experience I will treasure.

RRP: $125 (ish) if you can find one anywhere.

https://bindiwines.com.au/

Victoria | 2013 | Macedon | 13.5% ABV

PD