Giant Steps 'Bastard Hill', Pinot Noir, Australia, 2024

Pinot Noir From The Wild Side Tastes like: Wild Strawberry. Red Cherry. Blood Orange. Bergamot. Rosehip. White Pepper. Forest Floor. Silky Tannins. Long Mineral Finish. This is Pinot Noir with altitude, attitude and an alarming amount of elegance. Perfumed, bright and beautifully detailed, the Bastard Hill Pinot feels less like blockbuster Aussie red wine and more like something drifting out of a very cool cellar somewhere between Burgundy and the Yarra Valley wilderness. The Bastard Hill vineyard sits high in Gladysdale in the Upper Yarra Valley, planted at around 380 metres above sea level on steep volcanic slopes so dramatic that vineyard workers reportedly gave the site its wonderfully expressive name. Originally planted in the 1980s by viticultural legend Ray Guerin, Bastard Hill has long been regarded as one of Australia’s great Pinot Noir sites. The 2024 vintage saw a more classic Yarra Valley growing season, with cool spring conditions followed by warm, dry ripening weather that produced wines with bright acidity, balance and purity of fruit. The Pinot Noir was handpicked and fermented parcel by parcel in open oak vats before spending around ten months ageing in French oak barrels. There’s loads going on here — crunchy red berries, blood orange, bergamot, spice and earthy savoury notes — but everything stays incredibly poised and fresh. The tannins are beautifully fine and the whole wine glides across the palate with that wonderful cool-climate combination of perfume, tension and silky texture that makes great Pinot Noir so addictive. This absolutely sings with duck, mushroom dishes, roast chicken or unnecessarily long lunches that somehow turn into dinner. Australia - 2024 - 13.3% - 75cl Vegan