Bindi Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz 2022

Description

Bindi’, 50 kilometres north-west of Melbourne in the Macedon Ranges, is the family property of the Dhillon family. Originally purchased in the 1950s as part of the larger grazing farm ‘Bundaleer’, ‘Bindi’ is a 170 hectare farm of which 7 hectares are planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Fifteen hectares are dedicated to managed plantation eucalypts for high grade furniture timber whilst the remainder of the land is maintained as remnant bush land and important indigenous grasslands.

“The Bindi vineyard is the fundamental focus of our endeavors. Our vineyard and winemaking philosophy is to seek balance and purity in the expression of our various individual vineyard sites and this philosophy is applied to farming and conservation at ‘Bindi’; the preservation of the natural harmony.”  Michael Dhillon.

Winemaker Michael Dhillon was Winemaker of the Year in Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2022.

Campbell Mattinson on Bindi “The Bindi farm spans 170ha but only 7ha is planted to vines. This simple fact is an insight into the care and respect the Dhillon family has for its land, its heritage and its future. There are only 2 varieties planted (pinot noir and chardonnay) on the home vineyard, with both long-established for their stellar quality. Bindi is without question among a select few at the top echelon of Australian wine and essentially has been ever since its 1988 plantings first hit their straps.“

About this wine: Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz is sourced from an impeccably sited and managed vineyard near Colbinabbin on the Mount Camel Range in the Heathcote region of Victoria. The specific parcel of vines this fruit comes from is at the highest block on deep red, rocky Cambrian soils on a cooler easterly facing slope. The picking date is carefully assessed in order to capture fruit vibrancy and freshness whilst capturing the typical mouthfilling richness and length of the region.

The wine is made in 1000 litre open vats, fermented with ambient yeast and matured in French barrels, 10% new. The yield, harvest date and winemaking are deliberately aimed at producing a wine of regional authenticity in a style highlighting fragrance, vitality, finesse and harmony.

About the 2022 vintage from the winemaker .. “The 2022 season proved to be incredibly challenging however we did the work and achieved a cellar full of fabulous barrels of quite a range of wines. The season was wet and humid from the start and the startling rain events continued right to the conclusion of the season. Whilst the green grass, full tanks and full dams were lovely bonuses we would have welcomed some drier and warmer spells! The tougher seasons are certainly very memorable, and this harvest will be remembered alongside 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2014, 2020 and 2023 in the difficult camp. The test is to make delicious and age worthy wines, which these 2022s pleasingly are.”

About this wine: “This project now goes back over two decades, to 2001. The seasonal stamp is always there, these are not formulaic wines scrubbed and rubbed into an overriding house style, for the harvest date and winemaking is focused on ensuring a balanced wine that shows the markings of the year. (As James Halliday says, a Pinot Noir winemaker’s Shiraz!).

“It is made in a similar way to the Pinot Noirs, with the exception of seeing around 20% whole bunch inclusion in the fermentations (rather than zero or close to zero for the Pinots). The 2022 is very complex with beautiful aromas; mulberry, red and dark plum, spice and graphite. The medium weight palate has flair and is intense with the fruit power driving a structured and firm finish. These wines certainly improve with eight years cellaring and drink for many years after that but can also be enjoyed for their medium weight and harmony right now.”

93 points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion “A beautiful colour – dark purple shot with red; highly aromatic with wafts of florals, pepper and fresh herbs, while the palate is full of satsuma, barely ripe plums and baking spices with a hint of toasty oak. It’s delicious but needs more time to add some flesh to its bones as it’s tightly coiled – decant if drinking now.” June 2024.

RRP $42   Our Special Price $35.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine