From the soils of Gisborne to the cellars of Burgundy — Michael Dhillon on legacy, terroir, and crafting Australia’s most coveted cool-climate wines.
Michael was born in the town of Gisborne, where his mother’s family have lived since 1850, and grew up at Bindi, a 170-hectare farm just outside the township.
Today, he and his family produce some of Australia’s most respected chardonnay and pinot noir from their vineyard at Bindi, which Michael and his father Bill established in 1988. At Bindi, Dhillon served as assistant winemaker to Stuart Anderson from 1991 until 1998 when he assumed full responsibility.
Michael learned his craft working with Anderson as well as doing vintages in Europe, where he spent time with the Champagne house Jean Vesselle in Bouzy and with Alain Graillot in Croze-Hermitage, as well as working four vintages in Tuscany at Tenuta di Valgiano.
Dhillon’s passion for Burgundy has seen him visit more than 100 domaines over two decades to continue to hone his craft. And the results speak for themselves. Bindi wines are sought-after for cellars and wine lists around the country and the world, and continue to receive glowing scores and reviews.
Bindi is renowned as one of Australia’s best cool climate wineries with its Block 5 Pinot Noir (1st Classified), Original Vineyard Pinot Noir and Quartz Chardonnay listed in Australia's top 100 wines in the Langton’s Classification.
In August 2021 Michael was awarded one of the wine industry’s highest honours, being named as Winemaker of the Year in the 2022 Halliday Wine Companion Awards.