Bastard Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
2024 Pinot Noir
Yarra Valley, Victoria
$105.00
Out of Stock
2025 Royal Queensland Wine Awards
Gold Medal
The Wine Front
“The 2024 vintage of Giant Steps single vineyard wines is formally released on August 11, 2025. This 2024 release is from both the north and south slopes of the vineyard; 2023 was from the north side of the vineyard only. This year it cropped at 1.8 tonne per hectare. This is pretty as a picture. Blue and red berries, slips of spice, smoked cedar tucked in; it’s Pinot Noir in naked form, the bones clear but so too the flesh. This result is exquisite. It glides slowly through the start and then gradually, like a river through the rapids, increases its speed to the rush of an exaggeratedly long finish. This Pinot Noir is minerally, almost gravelly. It has flesh and perfume. It delves into secret herbs and spices territory. It’s a wine in perfect form. The tautness, the perfume, the flesh; everything is elite.”
97 points, August 2025.
Wine Details
- Region Yarra Valley, Victoria
- Vintage 2024
- Type Red Wine
- Variety Pinot Noir
- Vegan Friendly ✔
- Volume 750ml
- Alcohol Volume 13.3%
- pH 3.49
- Acidity 5.9g/L
- Closure ScrewCap
- Bottling Date December, 2024
- Harvest Date March, 2024
- Background Single Vineyard
- Vintage Notes The 2024 vintage was a more classic Yarra season. A cool start to Spring and ideal flowering conditions led to good fruit set and moderate yields. December was cool and mild, with significant rainfall at New Years and during the first week of January, giving the vines a good drink leading into the heat of February. Mid to late February was drier and warmer than is common in the Yarra, leading to great ripening conditions with no disease pressure and quite a fast vintage. In 2024, all of our Pinot and Chardonnay was ready in quick succession, leading to a compressed harvest - with the whole valley picked in the space of 3 weeks (where it normally spreads across 6 weeks). An exciting ride for our team, but ultimately giving us wines with great flavour, bright acidity and balance.
- Vineyard Notes Location: Gladysdale Planted: 1986 Elevation: 380 metres Soil Type: Volcanic loam (red / ferrous) Aspect: North and south facing slopes Size: 13 Hectares Situated in the Upper Yarra Valley in the sub-region of Gladysdale, Bastard Hill is a 31-hectare property with 13-hectares (32 acres) of vines, planted exclusively to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The vineyard’s expressive name is derived from its steep slope and high altitude, ranging in elevation from 300-400m. Bastard Hill is a celebrated site planted in the late 1980s by viticultural legend Ray Guerin. Dedicated initially to the production of super-premium sparkling wine, the site was quickly recognized for its potential to produce top quality still wines, releasing the Bastard Hill Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines in the 1990s. This is an elegant and perfumed Pinot Noir with exotic red fruit and Bergamot aromas. The 2023 vintage marks our first release of this vineyard in the Giant Steps portfolio.
- Winemaking Handpicked in two parcels and chilled overnight before being 100% destemmed into small seasoned French oak vats for fermentation. Each clone was fermented and matured separately. The grapes were cold soaked for four days before fermentation began and spent between 10 – 14 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) – 20% new, 80% seasoned – for ten months. The wine was not moved and kept in contact with its lees before blending in December. Bottled by gravity. No fining. No filtration.
- Peak Drinking / Cellaring Potential Now - eight years
2025 Royal Queensland Wine Awards
Gold Medal
The Wine Front
“The 2024 vintage of Giant Steps single vineyard wines is formally released on August 11, 2025. This 2024 release is from both the north and south slopes of the vineyard; 2023 was from the north side of the vineyard only. This year it cropped at 1.8 tonne per hectare. This is pretty as a picture. Blue and red berries, slips of spice, smoked cedar tucked in; it’s Pinot Noir in naked form, the bones clear but so too the flesh. This result is exquisite. It glides slowly through the start and then gradually, like a river through the rapids, increases its speed to the rush of an exaggeratedly long finish. This Pinot Noir is minerally, almost gravelly. It has flesh and perfume. It delves into secret herbs and spices territory. It’s a wine in perfect form. The tautness, the perfume, the flesh; everything is elite.”
97 points, August 2025.
Wine Details
- Region Yarra Valley, Victoria
- Vintage 2024
- Type Red Wine
- Variety Pinot Noir
- Vegan Friendly ✔
- Volume 750ml
- Alcohol Volume 13.3%
- pH 3.49
- Acidity 5.9g/L
- Closure ScrewCap
- Bottling Date December, 2024
- Harvest Date March, 2024
- Background Single Vineyard
- Vintage Notes The 2024 vintage was a more classic Yarra season. A cool start to Spring and ideal flowering conditions led to good fruit set and moderate yields. December was cool and mild, with significant rainfall at New Years and during the first week of January, giving the vines a good drink leading into the heat of February. Mid to late February was drier and warmer than is common in the Yarra, leading to great ripening conditions with no disease pressure and quite a fast vintage. In 2024, all of our Pinot and Chardonnay was ready in quick succession, leading to a compressed harvest - with the whole valley picked in the space of 3 weeks (where it normally spreads across 6 weeks). An exciting ride for our team, but ultimately giving us wines with great flavour, bright acidity and balance.
- Vineyard Notes Location: Gladysdale Planted: 1986 Elevation: 380 metres Soil Type: Volcanic loam (red / ferrous) Aspect: North and south facing slopes Size: 13 Hectares Situated in the Upper Yarra Valley in the sub-region of Gladysdale, Bastard Hill is a 31-hectare property with 13-hectares (32 acres) of vines, planted exclusively to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The vineyard’s expressive name is derived from its steep slope and high altitude, ranging in elevation from 300-400m. Bastard Hill is a celebrated site planted in the late 1980s by viticultural legend Ray Guerin. Dedicated initially to the production of super-premium sparkling wine, the site was quickly recognized for its potential to produce top quality still wines, releasing the Bastard Hill Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines in the 1990s. This is an elegant and perfumed Pinot Noir with exotic red fruit and Bergamot aromas. The 2023 vintage marks our first release of this vineyard in the Giant Steps portfolio.
- Winemaking Handpicked in two parcels and chilled overnight before being 100% destemmed into small seasoned French oak vats for fermentation. Each clone was fermented and matured separately. The grapes were cold soaked for four days before fermentation began and spent between 10 – 14 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) – 20% new, 80% seasoned – for ten months. The wine was not moved and kept in contact with its lees before blending in December. Bottled by gravity. No fining. No filtration.
- Peak Drinking / Cellaring Potential Now - eight years
Kind Words & Accolades
It's both approachable and gentle, even as a young wine, but the balance for drinking now or cellaring in the short to medium term is absolutely spot on.
Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion, 95 points, March 20252024 Giant Steps Yarra Valley Chardonnay 
A class act to drink now and over the next four to six years.
Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion, 96 points, March 20262025 Giant Steps Circle of Fifths Chardonnay
This is delicious, with plenty of generosity.
Ryan Montgomery - jamessuckling.com, 96 points, October 20252024 Giant Steps Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay 
Another salivating and seductive Sexton Chardonnay.
Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion, 97 points, July 20252024 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay
As a young wine, the medium-bodied palate is spicy, silky and long.
Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion, 95 points, March 20252024 Giant Steps Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
A step up on last year's Circle of Fifths
Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion, 96+ points, March 20262025 Giant Steps Circle of Fifths Pinot Noir
Always highly seductive and perfumed wine.
Philip Rich - Wine Companion, 97 points, July 20252024 Giant Steps Primavera Vineyard Pinot Noir
One of Australia's most celebrated pinot noirs is in impressive form.
Philip Rich - Wine Companion, 98 points, July 20252024 Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir
Great depth and tension, with underlying power.
Ryan Montgomery - jamessuckling.com, 96 points, October 20252024 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir
Stunning pinot noir.
Huon Hooke - The Real Review, 96 points, December 20252024 Giant Steps Coal River Pinot Noir 