Giant Steps "Applejack Vineyard" Pinot Noir 2022 ~ Yarra Valley, Australia

98/100 Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion
97/100 Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
96/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review
94/100 James Suckling
98/100 Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion (2021 vintage)
96/100 James Suckling (2021 vintage)
95/100 Robert Parker Wine Advocate (2021 vintage)
95/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2021 vintage)
95/100 The Wine Front (2021 vintage)
90/100 CellarTracker (2021 vintage)
93/100 Wine Enthusiast (2021 vintage)
96/100 Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion (2020 vintage)
96/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2020 vintage)
95/100 Wine Enthusiast (2020 vintage)

5 Stars - James Halliday

2024 Top Rated Pinot Noir of the Year, Halliday Wine Companion

Gold - Australian Pinot Noir Challenge
Gold - Decanter World Wine Awards (2021 vintage)
Gold - Melbourne Royal Show (2020 vintage)

Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion "Like a Mahler symphony, all of the elements of this wine are in perfect harmony. Aromas of crushed rose petals, red and black cherries, satsuma plums and subtle hints of sandalwood and fennel fronds. There's a little charcuterie and a discreet touch of wet stone. On the palate, this is the most concentrated, structured and saline Applejack I can remember, yet you barely notice the tannins due to the core of pure raspberry and cherry fruit. There's a gentle sappiness on the long, lingering finish. Simply irresistible."

Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front "What a wine this is. It’s a bloom of fruit, it’s wild with herbs, there are sweet-sour nuances and there’s a controlled run to the finish. Winemaker Mel Chester says: ‘everything you love about pinot noir, is in this wine.’ A reductive savouriness, particularly noticeable on the finish, is the icing. This is a stunning wine. Stunning fruit, and stunning structure, and stunning length."

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Medium-full red with a purple rim, the bouquet red and darker cherries, dusty dried-herb notes, a trace of nutty oak, a hint of liqueured cherry as it aired. There is excellent intensity and volume of flavour, allied with good structure thanks to well shaped tannins, the finish long and the flavour and structure finish right out. Superb pinot noir."

James Suckling "Really delicious....The semi-carbonic approach exudes floral perfumes, red to blue pastille, red apple skin and rosewater. Mid-weighted, sappy, nicely crunchy and joyous. An earlier drinking wine in the context of the site."

Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion "A deep, bright, crimson purple. Maraschino cherry into plum, there's an exotic and riotous amalgam of Asian five-spice and a gentle savoury, umami character. What elevates this vintage is the concentration, along with Applejack's trademark perfume and spice. Just so vibrant and fresh on the palate, the tannins are both silky and plentiful." (2021 vintage)

James Suckling "Brashly spicy and complex, this has aromas of espresso, blueberries, toasted spices and grilled bread, as well as forest wood and violets. The palate delivers alluring depth and a round, fleshy build. Acidity explodes on the finish, releasing fresh red-cherry and blueberry fruit flavors. Wonderfully layered and complete." (2021 vintage)

Robert Parker Wine Advocate "This shows wonderful clarity and poise—it is precise and layered with energy and life. The acid pulses through the phenolic texture in the mouth. It was originally a sparkling vineyard, down the hill from Wombat Creek, situated in an eastern-facing bowl that captures the morning sunlight. Mel Chester (head of winemaking and viticulture) talks about the smell of the tea trees in the vineyard, explaining that "there's always a couple of Wedgetail eagles circling, it's a magic place." The evocative description of the vineyard carries through into the wine, which shows a satisfying, delicious resolution of plump ripe fruit and beautifully resolved tannin." (2021 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Mid-light purple-red colour, bright and youthful, with aromas of mixed spices, raspberry, smoky oak and charcuterie, gentle palate texture and pleasingly drying tannins at the end. Excellent intensity. A nice touch of fruit sweetness at the heart of it, then a drying flush of fine tannin moves in. Delicious pinot. " (2021 vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "From the highest elevation of this winery's single vineyards, this vintage of Applejack is rounder and creamier than Giant Step's other Pinots. Succulent cranberry and strawberry fruit is accompanied by white pepper, florals, umami and savory spice. With a mouthcoating texture, the savory tannins tug gently on the pure, fresh red fruit." (2021 vintage)

Decanter World Wine Awards "Quite complex and perfumed bouquet of lovely woody notes, ripe raspberry fruit and hints of smoky bacon. Silky and precise, with gentle tannins." (2021 vintage)

Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion "Pinot purity right here, folks. There’s a certain precision and definition too. A delightful combo of joy and complexity: rhubarb and freshly grated beetroot, sweet red cherries, florals and warm spices, with the oak neatly tucked in. Superfine tannins, laser-like acidity and terrific length seal the deal." (2020 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Bright, medium to full red/purple colour with a sweetly raspberry-like aroma, a lovely fragrant perfume. Rose petals and pot-pourri. Light to medium-weighted, with a fine sheen of tannins contributing a nicely tailored firmness to the structure. A wine of real finesse." (2020 vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "Grown on clay-loam soils, with tough ironstone rocks running through, this wine is the most savory and brambly of Giant Steps's single-vineyard Pinots. A thicket of red and blueberry fruit entwines with white pepper and other savory spices, dried roses and meaty bass notes. In the mouth, fleshy fruit is again met with lovely spice, cinched by fine tannins. " (2020 vintage)

Peter Forrestal "Steve Flamsteed is a man of many talents with a finely tuned palate, an instinctive flair for winemaking and fastidious attention to detail. This shows particularly in the stunning single-vineyard chardonnays and pinots of Giant Steps: distinctive wines that reflect their sites and glow with impeccable finesse” (2016 vintage)

Giant Steps is a privately owned, estate based, Yarra Valley grower and winemaker. Giant Steps has forged a reputation for delivering some of Australia’s most consistent, over-performing, varietal wines. These wines have received global acclaim and established a strong reputation in restaurants and fine wine stores around the world. Since 2003 Giant Steps wines have collectively been awarded 19 trophies and over 50 gold medals at major international and domestic wine shows and have been named one of the Top 100 Wineries in the World by Wine & Spirits Magazine, US for each of the last three years.

Owner Phil Sexton came to wine via beer. He started Little Creatures, a favourite of Aussie hopheads, in Perth (Western Australia). Yarra Valley is a region with a cool climate, best known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Yarra Valley is an hour’s drive east of Melbourne. Applejack Vineyard was planted in 1997 by highly respected viticulturist Ray Guerin Today it is meticulously managed by his son Mark.

Applejack Vineyard is situated in the Upper Yarra Valley, to the south-east of the traditional valley floor. The higher altitudes result in cooler growing conditions - ideal for Pinot Noir. Applejack Vineyard is located on a dramatic, north-east-facing slope with close-planted vines. This vineyard was purchased by Phil Sexton in 2013.

Pinot Noir is the dominant red wine grape of Burgundy, now produced in wine regions all over the world, including western Germany, northern Italy, Chile, South Africa, Australia and, perhaps most notably, California, Oregon and New Zealand.

The essence of Pinot Noir wine is its aroma of strawberry and cherry (fresh red cherries in lighter wines and stewed black cherries in weightier examples), underpinned in the most complex examples by hints of forest floor. Well-built Pinot Noirs, particularly from warmer harvests, also exhibit notes of leather and violets, sometimes approaching the flavor spectrum of Syrah."