Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024

Accolades:
98/100 – Halliday Wine Companion
97/100 – James Suckling
96/100 – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
98/100 – Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2023 vintage)
96/100 – Decanter (2023 vintage)

“From the Applejack vineyard, planted on grey clay soils at 300m in Gladysdale in ’97 by Ray Guerin. 40% whole bunches and 40% less wine in ’24. Darkly fruited and more intense than the ’23 with aromas of wild blackberry, raspberry, briar, and just a hint of sous bois. On the palate, this is as concentrated and mouth-filling as the bouquet suggests it will be, culminating with succulent, grippy tannins on the long, tapering finish. It’s a touch more ‘sauvage’ and a little less floral than normal but, even in this warmer vintage, one of Australia’s most celebrated pinot noirs is in impressive form.” – Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion

“The 2024 Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir leads with its whole-bunch characters: scraped orange skin, chinotto, bitter clove, dark chocolate and star anise. In the mouth, the whole bunches serve to dry out the wine and compound the tannins, but what it does there, it balances by also contributing spice and capaciousness. In the end, this component pales in comparison to the flow of seamless fruit, which makes a significant impact. This is a powerful, lingering wine of great length and complexity. Time will smooth out the bunching tannins through the finish no doubt.” – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“Notably complete, with aromas of fresh flowers, cherries, wild berries, graphite, minerals, plum skins and blood orange. The palate is silken, with no hard edges, finely tuned tannins and notes of five spice and red and blue fruits, plus an herbal, savory edge. Excellent, with plenty of flair. Drink or hold.” – James Suckling

Vintage Note: 2023 was a small, high-quality vintage in the Yarra Valley. The season was defined by a cool Spring, a mild growing season, cool nights, and medium to high rainfall. 2023 was one of the coolest and latest harvests on record, with our first pick starting two and a half weeks later than the previous average. The grapes in 2023 had lovely fruit concentration with bright natural acidities.

Winemaking Notes: Hand-picked, Fermented in a combination of small oak fermenters and stainless-steel open vats. The Pommard clone parcels were fermented as whole bunches, while the remaining clones were destemmed to whole berries and cold soaked for four days before fermentation started naturally. The final blend is 30% whole bunch fermented. All parcels were matured in French oak 20% new, 80% seasoned – for ten months in 225L barriques, predominately Taransaud and Dargaud & Jaeglé. The wine was not moved and kept in contact with its lees before blending in January. Bottled by gravity. No fining. No filtration.

Alcohol: 13.3%

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia