Giant Steps received great accolades for its 2023 Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs. To see how they develop, I opened a couple of these wines from 2021.
The 2021 Giant Steps Wombat Creek Pinot Noir comes from perhaps the most challenging vineyard in the Yarra Valley. It is the most elevated at over 400m. Giant Steps does not make wine from it every year. It did not, as far as I know, in 2023, a very cool year.
But lets look at 2021. The colour is very bright pink, translating into vibrant red cherry flavours. The wine is really intense in its fruit flavours, almost jumps out of the glass. It is backed by savoury notes and firm tannins before a medium plus finish. The wine is not too complex in its flavour profile, but it is very well made and has a great structure. I found it quite exciting.
Score: 95/+++
The 2021 Giant Steps Primavera Vineyard Pinot Noir is also from a higher altitude vineyard at 240m. It shows a more complex fruit profile, with red and black cherry flavours dominant, and a fragrant mouthfeel. This wine is quite soft in the mouth. Again, there are savoury or mushroom flavours. The tannins are soft.
In terms of quality, it is high in both wines, but the focus is quite different. The Wombat Creek wine is about structure, whereas Primavera is about flavour complexity.
Score: 95/+++
Both wines indicate excellent and site specific winemaking. They hint at great things to come from this winery.
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