Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017

James Halliday Top 100 Wines of 2018

Giant Steps is recognized as a global benchmark for cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The winery was established in 1998, one year after founder Phil Sexton arrived in the Yarra Valley in search of ideal sites to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of purity and finesse. The Giant Steps Single Vineyard range is produced from the most site-expressive fruit from the best vineyards in great years.

"'I reckon a really good year for Applejack', says winemaker Steve Flamsteed. He isn't wrong. Giant Steps is at top of their game. Acid driven, light and fragrant style, has that sense of sleekness from fine pinot tannins yet is tightly wound, coiled and precise as it rolls through the palate. Savoury edged red fruit to taste. Balanced, lithe, very finely wrought. Such elegance, and, importantly, incredible sense of energy in the wine. Now we can use the word outstanding."  Mike Bennie

The Applejack Vineyard, named after the Applejack eucalypts that surround the vineyard, is located at Gladysdale in the upper Yarra Valley. It was planted in 1997 by respected viticulturist Ray Guerin and is meticulously managed by his son Mark. This vineyard was purchased by Phil Sexton in 2013. Located at an elevation of 320 metres, the higher altitude results in a cooler and extended growing season (3-4 weeks later than central Yarra Valley) and is ideally suited to growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Applejack Vineyard is located on a dramatic, northeast-facing slope with close-planted vines. The vineyard is planted to seven Pinot Noir clones - 114, 115, MV6, D2V5, D5V15, Pommard and Abel. 

"I've long considered the Applejack vineyard to be one of the greatest sites for pinot in Australia."  Philip Rich

"Hand picked, all fruit is chilled overnight to 12 degrees Celsius. Cold soak for 3 – 4 days, then allowed to warm to kick start fermentation Indigenous yeast. Fermented in small oak fermenters and stainless steel open vats. The "D” clones from the middle of the hill were fermented as whole bunches, while the Pommard, Abel and MV6 were destemmed, soaked cold for 5 days, then allowed to warm gently into a wild ferment. All parcels were matured in French oak – 25% new, 75% older – for 8 months in 225L barriques.  Racked to blend, no fining, no filtration.  Bottled by gravity."  Giant Steps

Expert reviews

"The bouquet is a perfumed mix of red fruit blossom, the red berry flavours of the palate symbiotically joined with the bouquet. It is a wine of exquisite purity and detail in its texture, and as befits a pinot of this quality, the palate is very long, the peacock's tail opening on the finish. Drink by 2027."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 98 points and Top 100 Wines of 2022 and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"I reckon a really good year for Applejack', says winemaker Steve Flamsteed, 'rain came every ten days and just kind of kept everything very fresh'. He isn't wrong. Such a lovely, thoughtful, progressive thinking human too. No wonder Giant Steps is at top of their game.

Acid driven, light and fragrant style, has that sense of sleekness from fine pinot tannins yet is tightly wound, coiled and precise as it rolls through the palate. Red currants, cranberry, smoke and sweet earth to sniff on. Savoury edged red fruit to taste. Balanced, lithe, very finely wrought. Such elegance, and, importantly, incredible sense of energy in the wine. Now we can use the word outstanding. Drink: 2018-2030."  Mike Bennie, The Wine Front – 96+ points

"This has a very compelling presence from the first glance. Deep, sappy strawberry and blueberry fruits interact with a wealth of sappy herbs and a spicy background edge; this is a wine with raw appeal. The palate has deep-set flesh and drive, smooth curvaceous tannins and a striking sense of effortless depth of flavor. Great wine, but much more to come. Try across the next decade."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 96 points

Awards

James Halliday Top 100 Wines of 2018
Special Value Wine - Halliday Wine Companion  ★ 

 In 1997 Phil Sexton arrived in the Yarra Valley in search of ideal sites to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of purity and finesse. He was looking for sites with altitude, aged soils, slopes of exposure, regular rainfall and cool to cold nighttime temperatures and a gentle breeze off the protecting mountain ranges. The Giant Steps winery was established one year later in 1998.

The focus is on the production of high-quality, single-vineyard wines. The Giant Steps Single Vineyard range is produced from the most site-expressive fruit off the best vineyards in great years. Each single vineyard wine tells a story about the vineyard, vintage and variety. Production of these wines is very limited with some vineyards producing as little as 200 cases.

The single vineyards comprise the Sexton Vineyard in the Lower Yarra and the Applejack Vineyard in the Upper Yarra (both owned by Giant Steps), the Tarraford Vineyard in the Lower Yarra under long-term lease, the Primavera Vineyard in the Upper Yarra under long-term supervised contract and the Wombat Creek Vineyard owned by Hand Picked Wines. In addition, Giant Steps produce a Yarra Valley range of wines made from handpicked fruit from their estate vineyards. They are highly expressive wines, true to the regional characteristics of the Yarra Valley. 

The Giant Steps wines have received global acclaim and are now recognized as a global benchmark for cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Since 2003 Giant Steps wines have been awarded 34 trophies and over 100 gold medals at major international and domestic wine shows and has been named one of the Top 100 Wineries in the World by US Wine & Spirits Magazine for each of the last six years.

Giant Step's success is due in no small part to Steve Flamsteed, Chief Winemaker since 2003. Steve had previously worked for Leeuwin Estate (1999 – 2002) and the Hardy Wine Company at their Yarra Burn Winery in the Yarra Valley (2002 – 2003). Steve was named Gourmet Traveller Wine 'Winemaker of the Year' in 2016. "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."  Peter Forrestal, chairman of judges, Gourmet Traveller Wine Winemaker of the Year

Melanie Chester joined Giant Steps as Head of Winemaking and Viticulture in 2021. She came to Giant Steps from Sutton Grange Winery in Central Victoria, where she was Head Winemaker. In 2014, Melanie became the youngest ever scholar selected for The Len Evans Tutorial. In 2015, she was named Young Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine, and in 2018, Melanie was recognized by Young Gun of Wine as the People's Choice award winner for favourite winemaker.

Giant Steps was acquired by the Jackson Family in 2020. The Jackson Family own a vast stable of wineries in California (Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Monterey County, Santa Barbara and Oregon), Australia (Yarra Valley and McLaren Vale), Chile, France, Italy and South Africa.