As with the 2012 single vineyard Chardonnays, I tasted these Giant Steps Pinots blind to see if I could pick the site. I must have been feeling slightly ditzy as I didn’t even think about the fact that there were just three, not the four I should have been expecting. That led to me picking the Gladysdale vineyard as the Tarraford vineyard. I still feel great shame. No Tarraford made in 2012. Must have been a tough decision but perhaps it explains why the 2012 Innocent Bystander is such extremely good value. Cos that’s where the fruit went.
Onto the Sexton. Instantly recognisable as a warmer site. The Applejack and Gladysdale vineyards are both Upper Yarra Valley. Denser, plumper fruits. Quite wild though. Snapped twigs, biltong, flint and undergrowth mingle with dark cherries and plums. The oak feels a touch more prominent and the wine more compact with a deal of grippy, grainy tannin that needs a bit of time to settle in. Hints of chocolate and lots of spiced rhubarb. Has some oomph, which will draw many to it. 92+
Region: Yarra Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $45
Tasted: July 2013