Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 (1500ml)
Style: Red Wine
Closure: Screwcap
Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 (1500ml)
Camberwell
Burke Road
Camberwell VIC 3124
Australia
Producer: Giant Steps
Country: Australia
Region: Yarra Valley
Vintage: 2019
Critic Score: 98
Alcohol: 13.5%
Size: 1500 ml
Drink by: 2050
Trophy, Best Pinot Noir of Show - 2020 Yarra Valley Wine Show
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.
"This is a stunning Pinot Noir, it is pretty, structural and has a purity of fruit that is met in equal measure by subtle savoury texture from whole bunches and the delicate spice that comes from new French oak. The palate builds beautifully with a meld of red and black cherry; undergrowth, rhubarb and finely tuned acidity define the mid palate with the complex and long finish a layered expression of fruit and gentle spice. A benchmark example of Australian Pinot Noir." Patrick Eckel
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
"This wine shouts Applejack from the rooftops: it's perfumed, elegant and relatively light-bodied, but with a fireworks display of red fruits and complex, savoury tannins. As with all Giant Steps pinots, it's not fined or filtered.” James Halliday, The Australian - 98 points
"This is a stunning Pinot Noir, it is pretty, structural and has a purity of fruit that is met in equal measure by subtle savoury texture from whole bunches and the delicate spice that comes from new French oak. The palate builds beautifully with a meld of red and black cherry; undergrowth, rhubarb and finely tuned acidity define the mid palate with the complex and long finish a layered expression of fruit and gentle spice. A benchmark example of Australian Pinot Noir." Patrick Eckel - 97 points
"Expressively complex with plenty of red-cherry, strawberry and pomegranate aromas, as well as oak spice and sappy notes. The palate has impressive density with focus. The spiced blueberry flavors are intense, fresh and long and there's such vibrant acidity sustaining the long finish." Nick Stock, James Suckling.com – 96 points
"Medium to light red/purple hue, the aroma fusty, earthy, forest floor, a note of oak and a touch of humus. Very rich and ripe, almost opulent flavour with charming fruit sweetness and a succulent core. A delicious wine." Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 95 points
Awards
Trophy, Best Pinot Noir of Show - 2020 Yarra Valley Wine Show
Applejack vineyard
Applejack Vineyard (Upper Yarra Valley)
Applejack Vineyard is a special site, located on a dramatic slope in the upper Yarra Valley and is closely planted and fastidiously managed. It was planted by respected viticulturist Ray Guerin in 1997. The basalt based underlying volcanic soil and rock produce a characteristically fine yet extended, spicy and firm palate. The higher altitude results in a cooler and extended growing season, ideally suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (3-4 weeks later than central Yarra Valley). This vineyard joined the Giant Steps family of Single Vineyards in 2013.
"This vineyard is a special location for Pinot Noir in the Yarra Valley – its eastern aspect means the sun rises to gently warm and dry out the vineyard in the morning, but the vines are sheltered from the afternoon heat by the temperate rainforest that surrounds it. We notice it produces the most earthen pinot noirs, that have the beautiful perfume and exotic red fruits that we love about Pinot, with complex notes of fresh turned earth, miso and mushroom. The flavours combined with wound tannins, intense flavour and texture on the palate shows us the quality of the site for world class Pinot Noir." Giant Steps
Location: Gladysdale
Elevation: 320 metres
Aspect: East-facing
Size: 12.5 hectares
Planted: 1997
Soil Type: Grey clay loam
Chardonnay Clones: I10V1
Pinot Noir Clones: Abel, MV6, Pommard, 114, 115, D2V5, D5V15
About the winery
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.
Victoria
Victoria is home to more than 800 wineries across 21 wine regions. The regions are Alpine Valley, Beechworth, Bendigo, Geelong, Gippsland, Glenrowan, Goulburn Valley, Grampians, Heathcote, Henty, King Valley, Macedon Ranges, Mornington Peninsula, Murray Darling, Pyrenees, Rutherglen, Strathbogie Ranges, Sunbury, Swan Hill, Upper Goulburn and Yarra Valley.
Victoria's first vines were planted at Yering in the Yarra Valley in 1838. By 1868 over 3,000 acres had been planted in Victoria, establishing Victoria as the premier wine State of the day. Today, the original vineyards planted at Best's Wines are among the oldest and rarest pre-phylloxera plantings in the world.
Victoria's climate varies from hot and dry in the north to cool in the south and each wine region specialises in different varietals. For example, Rutherglen in the north is famous for its opulent Muscats and Topaque and bold reds, while the many cooler climate regions near Melbourne produce world class Chardonnay and pinot Noir. Victoria is truly a wine lover's playground.