The crop has been harvested and picking finished on the 29th of March. The ferments are nearly complete as I write this and we begin pressing the Pinot Noir ferments tomorrow. The yield is below what we ideally aim for but not significantly. In the context of the myriad of trials experienced across the state during the 2009 growing season we are thrilled with the result. In 2009 the grapes developed their flavours and overall balance at lower sugar levels than in the past four years and the wines are showing a lot of intensity and drive. I believe they will be less textural as young wines than the pleasure laden 2008s but will develop very well over the medium term. It is very, very early days but it seems 2009 will yield wines of brightness and verve. The Chardonnays are displaying wonderful, vibrant, mouthwatering grapefruit and nectarine characters and the Pinots have racy red fruit and bright spice with fine, firm tannin drive (the skins were very thick and the berries small). It will be a great feeling when they are in barrel and resting over the winter.
Looking back over the summer the most immediate thought is that it was an extremely hot season due to the incredible maximum temperatures reached. However the vintage was actually twelve days later than 2008. And later than 2007 and 2006. We almost got back to picking in April! The cool December and January we mainly responsible and the even, mild weather in the second half of March saw a slow finish to the grape's flavour development.
Michael Dhillon
Friday, April 10, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Bindi news.
The week of sub 30 degree weather and 15mm of rain has settled our nerves and gifted the vines some respite from the debilitating heat of February. The fruit is fully veraised and the flavours and sugars are accumulating at a modest pace. The crop is not large and the canopy has held exceptionally well in the face of a heat and wind combination we've not experienced. My best guess at this point is that the harvest will begin in the last few days of March and progress into April.
In the past week or so two significant stages of the year have been reached. Last weekend we bottled the Bindi 2008 Composition Chardonnay and Composition Pinot Noir as well as the 2008 Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz. As done in the previous three vintages, we also bottled a special cuvee of Bindi 2008 Pinot Noir for restaurant Vue de Monde. All the wine was packaged straight off the bottling line and in the next few months we commence sales doth domestically and internationally. I am currently writing up tasting notes on these wines as well as barrel samples of the Quartz, Original Vineyard and Block 5 and the unfolding impression of the 2008 vintage is very exciting. In short, there are similarities to 2004 (fragrant and silken) with elements of 2005 (spice and intensity).
The other significant point reached it was the arrival and crushing of the 2009 Heathcote Shiraz last Monday. The vats have taken four days for the ambient yeasts to get working and as of this morning the winery is filled with yeast and fruit aromas. I am conscious of focusing on enjoying this intense period of the year for it is the exclamation mark at the end of a season's worth of hard work in the vineyard and mind. The life of a ferment and the sensory thrill they offer is relatively short lasting and the workload is unremitting so it can be understandably easy to just focus on coping rather than appreciating this exciting time. And the fruit? Colin Neate and his team in Heathcote have done a brilliant job in a significantly difficult season and quality of the balance, purity and length of the fruit flavour is very high. The canopy was healthy, as was the fruit at a modest yield (six tonnes per hectare). My initial impression is of depth with elegance and persistence. More, obviously, will be known in a couple of weeks after fermentation.
Last week I had the fabulous opportunity of be part of a panel with Ben Edwards from the Australian Sommeliers Association and Randall Pollard of Heart and Soil Imports presenting a masterclass of fine red Burgundy. The focus was principally on 2006 wines with a few 2005s thrown in to add perspective. As was the case at the Victorian Pinot Noir Workshop last November the wines from Etienne Grivot, Vosne Romanee, were absolutely outstanding. The previous week I had the good fortune to participate in a masterclass presented by Frederic Mugnier from Chambolle Musigny and this too was a stunning tasting for the expression of purity, balance and intensity on display. And 2006? A stunning vintage. For sure, 2005s are monumental but 2006 is more beautiful, at least for now and the next half dozen years.
It seemed, at least for a few days, that everywhere Frederic Mugnier went our paths crossed; at the Mornington Pinot Celebration, at the Musigny masterclass, at an enthusiasts private dinner and perhaps most interestingly for me, at Bindi. It was great to get Frederic's thoughts on our vines and wines and some important issues of vines and wine styles were discussed. The bunch and berry size and cropping level of MV6 Pinot Clone were discussed as Frederic is keen to take this clone to Burgundy. Why? He explained that studies he has been involved with looked at each vine in 40 hectares (400,000 vines) in an endeavour to find small bunch and berry size without excessive bunch tightness. The outcome was about 700 vines they were happy with and, in Frederic's words, none showed the outstanding qualities of MV6. I was stunned. We find MV6 to be an outstanding clone which naturally sets a very low yield and has exceptionally small bunch and berry size. It varies from block to block pointing to a high sensitivity to specific site; a good thing. In regard to wine matters, the quality known as tension is observable in very fine Burgundy and it is something that the wines from Mugnier are renowned for. When tasting several of our wines from barrel he gave a wry smile and acknowledged the tension in the wine. For me that notion is about life, vibrancy, intensity and the like. It is not about richness, flesh and juicy fruitiness. Tension and length. Mouthfeel and complexity. These are the things that make wine extra exciting to me.
Michael Dhillon
The week of sub 30 degree weather and 15mm of rain has settled our nerves and gifted the vines some respite from the debilitating heat of February. The fruit is fully veraised and the flavours and sugars are accumulating at a modest pace. The crop is not large and the canopy has held exceptionally well in the face of a heat and wind combination we've not experienced. My best guess at this point is that the harvest will begin in the last few days of March and progress into April.
In the past week or so two significant stages of the year have been reached. Last weekend we bottled the Bindi 2008 Composition Chardonnay and Composition Pinot Noir as well as the 2008 Pyrette Heathcote Shiraz. As done in the previous three vintages, we also bottled a special cuvee of Bindi 2008 Pinot Noir for restaurant Vue de Monde. All the wine was packaged straight off the bottling line and in the next few months we commence sales doth domestically and internationally. I am currently writing up tasting notes on these wines as well as barrel samples of the Quartz, Original Vineyard and Block 5 and the unfolding impression of the 2008 vintage is very exciting. In short, there are similarities to 2004 (fragrant and silken) with elements of 2005 (spice and intensity).
The other significant point reached it was the arrival and crushing of the 2009 Heathcote Shiraz last Monday. The vats have taken four days for the ambient yeasts to get working and as of this morning the winery is filled with yeast and fruit aromas. I am conscious of focusing on enjoying this intense period of the year for it is the exclamation mark at the end of a season's worth of hard work in the vineyard and mind. The life of a ferment and the sensory thrill they offer is relatively short lasting and the workload is unremitting so it can be understandably easy to just focus on coping rather than appreciating this exciting time. And the fruit? Colin Neate and his team in Heathcote have done a brilliant job in a significantly difficult season and quality of the balance, purity and length of the fruit flavour is very high. The canopy was healthy, as was the fruit at a modest yield (six tonnes per hectare). My initial impression is of depth with elegance and persistence. More, obviously, will be known in a couple of weeks after fermentation.
Last week I had the fabulous opportunity of be part of a panel with Ben Edwards from the Australian Sommeliers Association and Randall Pollard of Heart and Soil Imports presenting a masterclass of fine red Burgundy. The focus was principally on 2006 wines with a few 2005s thrown in to add perspective. As was the case at the Victorian Pinot Noir Workshop last November the wines from Etienne Grivot, Vosne Romanee, were absolutely outstanding. The previous week I had the good fortune to participate in a masterclass presented by Frederic Mugnier from Chambolle Musigny and this too was a stunning tasting for the expression of purity, balance and intensity on display. And 2006? A stunning vintage. For sure, 2005s are monumental but 2006 is more beautiful, at least for now and the next half dozen years.
It seemed, at least for a few days, that everywhere Frederic Mugnier went our paths crossed; at the Mornington Pinot Celebration, at the Musigny masterclass, at an enthusiasts private dinner and perhaps most interestingly for me, at Bindi. It was great to get Frederic's thoughts on our vines and wines and some important issues of vines and wine styles were discussed. The bunch and berry size and cropping level of MV6 Pinot Clone were discussed as Frederic is keen to take this clone to Burgundy. Why? He explained that studies he has been involved with looked at each vine in 40 hectares (400,000 vines) in an endeavour to find small bunch and berry size without excessive bunch tightness. The outcome was about 700 vines they were happy with and, in Frederic's words, none showed the outstanding qualities of MV6. I was stunned. We find MV6 to be an outstanding clone which naturally sets a very low yield and has exceptionally small bunch and berry size. It varies from block to block pointing to a high sensitivity to specific site; a good thing. In regard to wine matters, the quality known as tension is observable in very fine Burgundy and it is something that the wines from Mugnier are renowned for. When tasting several of our wines from barrel he gave a wry smile and acknowledged the tension in the wine. For me that notion is about life, vibrancy, intensity and the like. It is not about richness, flesh and juicy fruitiness. Tension and length. Mouthfeel and complexity. These are the things that make wine extra exciting to me.
Michael Dhillon
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Welcome to our website.
Finally, after eight years of ‘this is the year to get a site up’, it has happened. Sure, there’s been a lot on. Children, new vineyard, winery extensions, demanding seasons and the like are not really valid excuses but they are fair reasons not to address what has always been seen as an add on, a side line, a non core aspect of our farm, vineyard, winery and business.
That explanation will perhaps rile the astute wine marketers, the ‘make every post a winner’ proponents, those that can offer us some consultative insights into how to make our business really tick but there is a certain ‘of the land and farm’ logic to it. The reason we have been lax about building a website is that after attending to the vines, the wines, the market, the business and nurturing some human balance with family and friends the few of us here at Bindi simply haven’t had the time to commit to what a good site demands.
My desire for our site is to have it as a relatively dynamic source of current news about Bindi activities and general wine industry news and views. Previously there has not been the time to attend to updating a site and keeping it fresh and relevant; it seems only too easy to find a website where the current news is from 2006.
At least every few weeks there are either exciting changes in the vineyard, activities in the winery, travels through the global industry, inspirational wines tasted and enjoyed. My aim is not to create a definitive or comprehensive blog to attract the wine masses (I would be kidding myself if I aspired to that) but to offer some vitality and interest around what goes on in our sphere of wine and life here at Bindi.
I welcome your comments.
The past ten days have smudged and bludgeoned a smear of grey and black across Victoria and the nation. Including the wine industry. The newspapers, radio, internet and television have profoundly shouted the tragedy across the world. It has been a deeply saddening time and one for contemplating ways of helping and acknowledging our own good luck in not having the fires’ fury reeked upon us as it so very nearly was in Ash Wednesday, 1983.
I was immersed in some of this and other nation’s most delicious pinot noirs at the Mornington Peninsula International Pinot Noir Celebration on February, Friday the 6 when I became aware of the Premier’s warnings about the forecast diabolical looming heat and wind. Our farm had been under ember attack in the 43 degree heat of Ash Wednesday when the fire roared just down the road and the warnings were for a day of potentially greater danger. In a move that seemed a bit melodramatic at the time I decided to not attend the Saturday tastings (featuring Le Musigny et al from J.F. Mugnier no less) but rather return home to be on the farm and prepared in case of a bushfire.
Leaving the Peninsula the temperature was just under 20 degrees. Arriving home a few hours later, up in the hills at over 500 meters above sea level, the mid morning temperature had rocketed to 40 degrees. And the eerie, menacing wind had accelerated alarmingly. This was not a day for me to be tasting wine.
Wendy, Ruby, Emma and I went across the paddocks to my father Bill’s house on the farm located next to the winery and we sought some respite in the pool. The plan is to be at the winery if possible in a fire event for a multitude of reasons; it’s clear of bush by several hundred meters, has a stand alone diesel pump to protect the vineyard, house and winery and the fire proof barrel room is cut in against the side of the hill on the eastern side of the winery.
We came back to our house in the bush for lunch but by two o’clock the foul, sinister burn and dry of the day was too threatening to disrespect. We packed the car and left for the security of the winery and, again, the comfort of the pool. Sitting watching the kids thrill in the revitalizing therapy of the cool water provided a bizarre contrast to the full, healthy green leaves that were being stripped and blown from the vines such was the force of the north wind. The temperature was over 45 degrees and Radio 774 was bringing news of fires.
Our vines are, amazingly, pretty much unaffected by the extreme heat and are just beginning to ripen their fruit. Due to the cold and windy conditions experienced in early December the fruit set is very poor and 2009 will produce a small crop (around two and a half tonnes per hectare). The incredibly dry weather from mid December to now further retarded the crop’s development. This reality is not really perturbing to us as we are still here to do what we love, where we love it, the vines are healthy and 2008 (some nearing release) was high in quality and quite abundant.
We’ll have more news in a week or so. All the best,
Michael Dhillon
Finally, after eight years of ‘this is the year to get a site up’, it has happened. Sure, there’s been a lot on. Children, new vineyard, winery extensions, demanding seasons and the like are not really valid excuses but they are fair reasons not to address what has always been seen as an add on, a side line, a non core aspect of our farm, vineyard, winery and business.
That explanation will perhaps rile the astute wine marketers, the ‘make every post a winner’ proponents, those that can offer us some consultative insights into how to make our business really tick but there is a certain ‘of the land and farm’ logic to it. The reason we have been lax about building a website is that after attending to the vines, the wines, the market, the business and nurturing some human balance with family and friends the few of us here at Bindi simply haven’t had the time to commit to what a good site demands.
My desire for our site is to have it as a relatively dynamic source of current news about Bindi activities and general wine industry news and views. Previously there has not been the time to attend to updating a site and keeping it fresh and relevant; it seems only too easy to find a website where the current news is from 2006.
At least every few weeks there are either exciting changes in the vineyard, activities in the winery, travels through the global industry, inspirational wines tasted and enjoyed. My aim is not to create a definitive or comprehensive blog to attract the wine masses (I would be kidding myself if I aspired to that) but to offer some vitality and interest around what goes on in our sphere of wine and life here at Bindi.
I welcome your comments.
The past ten days have smudged and bludgeoned a smear of grey and black across Victoria and the nation. Including the wine industry. The newspapers, radio, internet and television have profoundly shouted the tragedy across the world. It has been a deeply saddening time and one for contemplating ways of helping and acknowledging our own good luck in not having the fires’ fury reeked upon us as it so very nearly was in Ash Wednesday, 1983.
I was immersed in some of this and other nation’s most delicious pinot noirs at the Mornington Peninsula International Pinot Noir Celebration on February, Friday the 6 when I became aware of the Premier’s warnings about the forecast diabolical looming heat and wind. Our farm had been under ember attack in the 43 degree heat of Ash Wednesday when the fire roared just down the road and the warnings were for a day of potentially greater danger. In a move that seemed a bit melodramatic at the time I decided to not attend the Saturday tastings (featuring Le Musigny et al from J.F. Mugnier no less) but rather return home to be on the farm and prepared in case of a bushfire.
Leaving the Peninsula the temperature was just under 20 degrees. Arriving home a few hours later, up in the hills at over 500 meters above sea level, the mid morning temperature had rocketed to 40 degrees. And the eerie, menacing wind had accelerated alarmingly. This was not a day for me to be tasting wine.
Wendy, Ruby, Emma and I went across the paddocks to my father Bill’s house on the farm located next to the winery and we sought some respite in the pool. The plan is to be at the winery if possible in a fire event for a multitude of reasons; it’s clear of bush by several hundred meters, has a stand alone diesel pump to protect the vineyard, house and winery and the fire proof barrel room is cut in against the side of the hill on the eastern side of the winery.
We came back to our house in the bush for lunch but by two o’clock the foul, sinister burn and dry of the day was too threatening to disrespect. We packed the car and left for the security of the winery and, again, the comfort of the pool. Sitting watching the kids thrill in the revitalizing therapy of the cool water provided a bizarre contrast to the full, healthy green leaves that were being stripped and blown from the vines such was the force of the north wind. The temperature was over 45 degrees and Radio 774 was bringing news of fires.
Our vines are, amazingly, pretty much unaffected by the extreme heat and are just beginning to ripen their fruit. Due to the cold and windy conditions experienced in early December the fruit set is very poor and 2009 will produce a small crop (around two and a half tonnes per hectare). The incredibly dry weather from mid December to now further retarded the crop’s development. This reality is not really perturbing to us as we are still here to do what we love, where we love it, the vines are healthy and 2008 (some nearing release) was high in quality and quite abundant.
We’ll have more news in a week or so. All the best,
Michael Dhillon
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