GIANT STEPS | Sexton Vineyard | Pinot Noir | 2020
pinot noir

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Today we are going to review a single-varietal pinot noir wine from the lands of Down Under – Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020 by Giant Steps. Pinot Noir has reached a legendary status over the last decades and today it is the most sought-after red wine in the world. The grape itself is quite vulnerable, suffering from a multitude of diseases and its genetics make it highly susceptible to mutation. But despite all the difficulty to grow pinot noir, when treated with utmost care, it is capable of producing the very best expressions of terrior. This wine comes from the famous Yarra Valley region of Victoria, famous for its vibrant pinot noir and crisp chardonnay wines. Made of pinot noir grapes (the MV6, G5V15, POM5, and D clones) that were sourced from the Sexton Vineyard, planted on grey clay and loam soil on north-facing slopes (which are the most exposed to sunlight and heat in the southern hemisphere). The MV6 grapes were fermented as 100% whole bunches, while the G clones were destemmed, cold soaked for five days, then allowed to warm gently into a wild ferment. Then the separate wines were blended and aged for 10 months in 225-liter french oak barriques (of which 25% new oak, mostly Taranasaud, Vicard and D&J), with only 36 barrels made overall. But enough theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: pale garnet color
clarity: hazy garnet shades

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & vegetal
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: cranberry | redcurrant | sour cherry | red plum | goji berry
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: vegetal | herbal | spice | savory | earthy
__vegetal: tomato leaf | wormwood | bell pepper
__herbal: dried leafs | basil | rosemary
__spice: red pepper | paprika | thyme
__savory: brown olive | leather | iron
__earthy: clay | loam | forest floor
primary layer: fruity-vegetal

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: low
__grip: green
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: supple | medium

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: underripe
non fruit: savory-vegetal
finish: medium+
aftertaste: bitter-crisp

//Scoring
GIANT STEPS | Sexton Vineyard | Pinot Noir | 2020
variety: pinot noir
country: Australia | Victoria
region: Yarra Valley
rating: 93.7

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 2 or 3 more years
verdict: great | a must try wine
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This is definitely a great wine of Australia and, with a total of 93.7 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a very supple, slightly green and quite lean pinot noir wine that is still in its development phase, therefore a wine that can be enjoyed today, but it would be better to give it another 2 or 3 years of bottle ageing in order to develop further complexity and balance. The wine feels round and voluptuous, with nuanced, savory-vegetal accents on the nose and a well structured palate, where it delivers exuberant acidity, seedy-green tannins and an overwhelming touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, leading to a bitter-crisp aftertaste. It has a very appealing, fruity-savory accent, with a medium- body and a crisp aftertaste. On the nose the wine displays ripe red fruits mixed with some very pronounced vegetal notes in the foreground, supported by a very delicate and rustic, savory-earthy background and a subtle spicy layer in between. All in all, this is a nicely balanced pinot noir wine with good varietal typicity of the pinot noir grapes and a terroir-driven delicacy. Taking into account its flavour profile and structure, we believe it will pair lovely with delicate meats, like for example Tournedos Rossini or a peppercorn-crusted filet mignon with wild mushrooms. Enjoy!

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