Region: Yarra Valley Grapes: Pinot Noir First Glance: Silky, Red Fruited, Aromatic Acclaim: 95pts
The Wine: All Giant Steps fruit is 100% hand-picked. Grapes are then chilled overnight before processing. The Pinot is either fermented as 100% whole bunches or 100% destemmed with whole berries. The whole bunch treatments have a warm start to fermentation, with minimal mixing throughout the start of fermentation to promote carbonic maceration. These ferments are then left for up to 21 days on skins before pressing.
The destemmed and whole berry batches are held cold at 4℃ for four days before the ferment is allowed to heat up and start fermentation naturally with indigenous yeasts. Cold soaked for 3 days, then allowed to warm in small open fermenters in order to kick start wild fermentation. Parcels are matured in French oak (10% new, 90% older) for eight months. Blended in October and then bottled by gravity without fining or filtration in November.
This is a wonderful entry point into the world of Giant Steps Pinot Noir. Silky, aromatic, and bursting with pure energy. Firmly red fruited with surprising structure that really gives this wine drive and length. Excellent.
The Review: Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 95pts "I didn’t take a great many notes here on the basis that it’s just so straight-up enjoyable. It’s ultra fresh, savoury and spicy with cooling Campari-like herbs, strawberries and cherries, with those slightly (positive) bitter-herb notes continuing on through the finish. It has good concentration and structure, and presumably will age well, though its appeal right now is obvious. Go now, I’d say. And go well. This is a) complex, b) fresh, and c) beautiful."
