Origin: Yarra Valley
Region: Victoria
Grape(s): Pinot Noir
Style: Full-bodied red wine aged in new French oak
Drinkability: Impress
Alcohol: 14%
Medium ruby in the glass. New oak right off the bat on the nose – pencil shavings, vanilla, Christmas spices, charred wood. Clean, ripe red fruit dominates in the mouth – strawberry, cherry, cranberry. A complex and beautifully layered Pinot, but doesn’t go extremely deep into the philosophical realm. Elegant, fine and easy drinking. Tasted blind, you could be leaning slightly to Burgundy, but this still has that dominant NW touch. Good stuff.
In 1997 Phil Sexton arrived in the Yarra Valley in search of altitude, aged soils, slopes of exposure, regular rainfall and cool to cold night time temperatures and a gentle breeze off the protecting mountain ranges. Why? Because he wanted to grow amazing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir fruit to make wines of purity and finesse. Steve Flamsteed, Chief Winemaker of Giant Steps since 2003, has set about creating a range of single vineyard wines that personify each site. The Yarra Valley Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, LDR and Syrah were then created, clearly displaying the Yarra Valley fruit in a simple, textural and affordable light.