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

97/100 Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion (2021 vintage)
95/100 The Wine Front (2021 vintage)
95/100 Robert Parker The Wine Advocate (2021 vintage)
94/100 Christina Pickard - Wine Enthusiast (2021 vintage)
94/100 Huon Hooke - The Real Review (2021 vintage)
94/100 James Suckling (2021 vintage)
93/100 Decanter World Wine Awards (2021 vintage)
16/20 Jancis Robinson (2021 vintage)
 
95/100 Jane Faulkner - Halliday Wine Companion (2020 vintage)
95/100 Huon Hooke - The Real Review (2020 vintage)
94/100 Christina Pickard - Wine Enthusiast (2020 vintage)
92/100 CellarTracker (2020 vintage)

95/100 Huon Hooke - The Real Review (2019 vintage)
94/100 Steven Creber - Halliday Wine Companion (2019 vintage)
94/100 The Wine Front (2019 vintage)
94/100 James Suckling (2019 vintage)
91/100 CellarTracker (2019 vintage)

James Halliday Winery Five Star Rating

Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion "From the Primavera vineyard at Woori Yallock, planted in 2001 on the same red soil as Wombat Creek. Both destemmed (55%) and whole-bunch components. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. A very bright crimson purple. So pure and perfumed with briary cherries, ripe redcurrants and freshly cut roses. Poised, juicy and energetic, the wine has so much tang and crunch, you barely notice that this is also structured finishing with long, gently puckering tannins. A wine with immediate appeal, but also one that will reward at least another 7-10 years in the cellar."

Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast "Like other wines in Giant Step's suite of Pinots, this vibrant, juicy red-fruited Pinot has both drink-now appeal and the ability to age. A bright cherry-juice color, it offers heady aromas of strawberry tart and cherry blossom, with earth spice and an umami mushroom nuance. A touch of vanillin oak shows but should dissipate with time. The midweight palate is mouthcoating while still being fresh and elegant, framed in fine, chalky tannins, with a savory, mineral core. Drink now through 2033."

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Medium red-purple, bright colour; pronounced spicy, floral and dark-cherry aromas with a lick of smart oak; the palate is rich and full in profile, with abundant softly drying tannins and a bold, up-front structure. A generous pinot, of focused intensity and a long carry. It's refined and aromatic but also powerful, a wine of considerable charm. (Woori Yallock, 230m alt, 35 barrels made)"

James Suckling "There’s a very approachable feel to this pinot, with aromas of blueberries, blackcurrants and sweet hard spices, such as star anise. The palate has a polished feel, with a plush texture and a plump blueberry and black-cherry core. Drink over the next six years. Screw cap."

Decanter World Wine Awards, "Tender red fruit aromas. Smooth and quite elegant: raspberries, strawberries and cherries, subtle pepper adds spice. Savoury complexity and smoky notes to finish."

Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion "The north-facing Primavera site in Woori Yallock sits at 230m elevation and has morphed into the prettiest of the single-vineyard pinots this vintage. While it has a delicacy, there’s plenty of definition, too. Wonderful aromas and very spicy, with beautifully balanced flavours of red fruits, umami and truffle. Then lacy tannins take hold, while partial whole-bunch fermentation has given it a sapidity and vivacity. A lovely wine." (2020 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Medium to light red/purple colour. Very floral and rose-petally, with a tinge of lavender. Highly aromatic pinot. The palate is light to medium-weight and finely-textured, with a sheen of firm but fine tannins adding grip and structure. The aftertaste has a brothy umami savouriness and a lingering aftertaste. Compact and focused. An excellent Yarra pinot but if anything just a bit light. (Site is 230m, similar altitude as Applejack but the difference is the soil, which is red basalt)" (2020 vintage)

Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast "This vineyard sits on red basalt soils. As the springtime name implies, it's the most delicate of the lot. An enticing cherry-juice hue, it's vibrant, bursting with primary red-berry fruit and backed by gentle spice and dried-floral aromas. The palate is medium weight, but fills the mouth with more plump, juicy berries. There's length and elegance here, and tannins are fine and well-placed, but this is a fruit show at the moment: Those more complex meaty aromas will need another few years before they show up to the party." (2020 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Light red colour with the merest tinge of purple. The bouquet is lightly spicy, meaty and somewhat charcuterie-like, bresaola rather than prosciutto. The wine has weight and grip beyond what its colour implies. A very smart pinot, with a fruit-sweet core as well as charm and complexity. Delicious." (2019 vintage)

Steven Creber, Halliday Wine Companion "Upper Yarra fruit from this vineyard at Woori Yallock. MV6 and 115 clones, pre-ferment handling; 8 months in French oak barriques (25% new). Soft red fruit, a touch of green herb and a little bit of coffee oak on the bouquet, all nicely in harmony. Quite broad through the palate, and mouth-filling in a way, but holds its shape courtesy of the gently persistent tannins which maintain well through the finish." (2019 vintage)

James Suckling "Bright red cherries and strawberries in a pure style of pinot that has a gently herbal edge and some light reductive, tarry notes, too. The palate is precise and refined in terms of tannin shape and fruit purity. Bright red cherries abound. Acidity sparks up the finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap." (2019 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 has been named one of the Top 100 Wineries in the World by Wine & Spirits Magazine, US for each of the last three years.

Founder Phil Sexton came to wine via beer. He started Little Creatures, a favourite of Aussie hopheads, in Perth (Western Australia). Winemaker Steve Flamsteed works exclusively on Giant Steps single vineyard wines.

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.

After discovering Yarra Valley wines 25 years ago Lou Primavera planted this vineyard in Hoddles Creek in 2001. We have a long-standing relationship with the Primavera family having sourced fruit from the vineyard for some years. Testament to the increasing quality of this site, we are now producing a single vineyard Pinot Noir from Primavera.