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Giant Steps 'Bastard Hill' Pinot Noir 2025
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- TASTING NOTE: "Mainly destemmed. A medium-bright crimson. A touch richer and more opulent than the '24. Having said that, this is still a supremely perfumed wine, with aromas of alpine fruits, herbal bitters, orange peel, sandalwood and light rose petal. Medium bodied, with lovely mid-palate intensity and energy. The tannins are just so silky and long. Classic Upper Yarra pinot that will reward cellaring over the next eight to 10 years." 97 Points - Philip Rich, Halliday
- ABOUT THE WINE: Location: Gladysdale. Planted: 1986. Elevation: 380 metres. Soil Type: Volcanic loam (red / ferrous). Aspect: North and south facing slopes. Size: 13 Hectares. Situated in Gladysdale in the Upper Yarra Valley, Bastard Hill is a 31-hectare property with 13 hectares of vines planted exclusively to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Its expressive name comes from the vineyard’s steep slopes and high altitude, ranging from 300 to 400 metres. Planted in the late 1980s by viticultural legend Ray Guerin, Bastard Hill was initially dedicated to the production of super-premium sparkling wine. Its potential for still wines was quickly recognised, with Bastard Hill Chardonnay and Pinot Noir first released in the 1990s. The Pinot Noir from this block is elegant, perfumed and finely structured, showing bright red fruit, bergamot, quince paste and sweet red liquorice. Silky, fine-boned tannins carry the palate, with a graphite-like frame and a slippery, elongated finish. From one block, handpicked and chilled overnight before being 100% destemmed into a seasoned French oak vat for fermentation. The grapes were cold soaked for four days before fermentation began and spent 15 days on skins, with gentle mixing throughout that time using gravity. All parcels completed malolactic fermentation and were then matured in French oak barriques (225L), 22% new, 78% seasoned for ten months. This wine was matured without racking in contact with its lees before blending in December. Bottled by gravity. No fining. No filtration.
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ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Giant Steps was founded by wine industry pioneer Phil Sexton, who ventured from Margaret River to Yarra Valley to find the ideal site to cultivate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of purity and finesse. Phil found his holy grail near Gruyere in the Sexton vineyard, which he planted in 1997 on the steep slopes of the Warramate Ranges. A mad jazz fan, Phil named the winery after John Coltrane’s album and fitting metaphor “Giant Steps.” In 2003, Winemaker Steve Flamsteed came aboard, and the two set about producing a range of iconic Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that express a profound sense of place from six finite sites in Yarra Valley. For Melanie Chester, who became Head of Winemaking and Viticulture at Giant Steps in 2021, this long-held admiration for the winery comes with an intrinsic pressure to honour the expressions and diversity of its single sites. This means keeping the winemaking tight and transparent, so that diversity of site is what you taste. For more than 20 years, Giant Steps has been advancing Australia’s reputation for cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
- COUNTRY: Australia
- REGION: Yarra Valley, Victoria
- VARIETAL: Pinot Noir
- WINE STYLE: Red Wine
- WINEMAKER: Melanie Chester
- CLASSIFICATION: Minimal Intervention, Sustainable Farming, Vegan
- CLOSURE: Screwcap
- ABV%: 13.8%
- SIZE: 750ml
