Giant Steps Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2024
At Giant Steps, we hand pick 100% of our fruit and fastidiously hand sort in the vineyard. Pinot Noir has one of two processing pathways at Giant Steps - either fermented semi carbonic with 100% whole bunch or destemmed and fermented with whole berries. When the fruit arrives at the winery, we determine which direction to take the parcel depending on clone, vineyard, stem ripeness and flavour. Our whole bunch batches are fermented warm with minimal mixing for 14 days. The destemmed whole berry parcels are cold soaked for 3 days before we allow them to warm up and start fermentation naturally. All of our cap management is done using gravity drain and returns, allowing for gentle extraction before pressing. Each parcel is then transferred by gravity to French oak barriques for malolactic fermentation and is kept on those lees for the duration of its maturation. The parcels are blended together in Spring before bottling in December. This wine is bottled by gravity without fining or filtration. Parcels are matured in French oak (10% new, 90% older) for eight months. Blended in October and then bottled by gravity without fining or filtration in November.
Turmeric and garlic roasted chicken with couscous. Mushroom Risotto with roasted enoki. BBQ Quail with five spice, fried spring onion and garlic flakes.
Aromatically, this is pure Yarra charm - wild strawberry, cherry, a flick of spice and just a hint of stemmy crunch thanks to a portion of whole bunches.
It glides across the palate with polished red fruits and a fine earthy tannin trail on the finish. One of the country’s best value premium Pinot Noirs, made with the same precision and purpose as the highly decorated single vineyard wines - this is the delicious gateway into the world of Giant Steps.
