Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018

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Giant Steps
Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018

Vintage : 2018
Country : Australia
Region : Victoria
Subregion Yarra Valley
Type : Red
Style Light Fruity Red
Format : 75cl
Alcohol : 13,5°
Grappes : 100% Pinot Noir

Experts		Score	Vintage
RP	Robert Parker	91	2018
JH	James Halliday	95	2016
JS	James Suckling	97	2015
VN	Vinous (Antonio Galloni)	93	2015
JR	Jancis Robinson	17	2015
WE	Wine Enthusiast	92	2014
WS	Wine Spectator	90	2014

More information on wine critics and ratings

Description
Reviews
From the same producer

Vivid ruby red. The bouquet mingles spice-accented red fruit and floral pastille scents with dried flowers, anise and woodsmoke.

An undercurrent of zesty minerality gives focus and lift to the plump raspberry and bitter cherry flavours on the palate.

Spice returns on the subtly tannic finish, which lingers with great clarity.

Robert Parker (RP) : 91 Points (2018)

Taut and even a bit wiry in structure, the 2018 Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir looks to be a candidate for several years of cellaring. Pie cherries, cranberries and pomegranate notes predominate, accented by hints of earth and cedar on the nose, while the medium-bodied palate is focused and streamlined, leading into a long, mouthwatering finish.

James Halliday (JH) : 95 Points (2016)

Sexton Vineyard is in the Lower Yarra Valley, at 230m, MV6 clone, wild-fermented in a 4000l oak vat, 20% whole bunches, matured in French oak (25% new) for 11 months. Deep colour; the bouquet breathes black cherries, dark spices, the palate the fullest and more plummy than either Primavera or (at the other extreme) Applejack. Overall, the most powerful, but most closed/reductive of the trio

James Suckling (JS) : 97 Points (2015)

The most cerebral, layered, spicy and complex of the 2015 Giant Steps single-vineyard wines, this has a handy mix of savory and sweet aromas. There are cloves, chalky/stony smells, saffron and a swirling array of rose-like fragrances. It's really engaging and gently herbal, opening up into warmed, peppery spices and some musky florals, too. The palate is cut with finesse and detail and is really engaging and structurally complex for a pinot. The tannins strike the gentlest of grainy textures through fine pastry-like layers of fruit. Meanwhile, hints of blood-orange flavors meet crunchy red cherries and wild raspberries. Elegant yet powerful. Superb their best to date. Delicious enough to drink now, but you'd be mad not to give it 5+ years. There is much to come!

Vinous (Antonio Galloni) (VN) : 93 Points (2015)

Brilliant ruby-red. High-pitched, expansive red berry liqueur and potpourri aromas are complicated by suggestions of Asian spices, candied rose and smoky minerals. Sappy, finely etched red fruit and spicecake flavors gain depth and power with aeration while maintaining a sense of finesse. Sappy, seamless and impressively pure on the impressively long finish, which is given shape by silky, well-integrated tannins.

Jancis Robinson (JR) : 17 Points (2015)

Superbly pure red fruit with a lovely gentle balance. Good fine tannic fuzz and well-integrated acid. Pretty firm and structural, and the flavours are very newborn. (RH)

Wine Enthusiast (WE) : 92 Points (2014)

Editor's Choice - Phil Sexton's wines under the Giant Steps label are becoming more consistent, and the 2014s may be his best yet. This is a medium- to full-bodied wine, with a supple, creamy texture and lingering notes of spring flowers and black cherries. Subtle oaking adds brown sugar and mocha shadings to the crisp finish. Drink now–2022.

Wine Spectator (WS) : 90 Points (2014)

Perfumed, with dried lavender, rose petal and mineral details against a core of fresh, velvety cranberry and strawberry flavors, balancing intensity and elegance. Drink now through 2026