Primavera Vineyard Pinot Noir
2025 Pinot Noir
Yarra Valley, Victoria
$105.00
Halliday Wine Companion
"From Lou Primavera's '01-planted vineyard at 300m on red volcanic soils in Woori Yallock. A deep, bright crimson. A more concentrated and brooding Primavera. Aromas of damson plum, dark raspberry, lightly crushed violets and star anise. It's concentrated on the palate, too, with persistent and textured tannins that'll ensure this ages slowly and gracefully over a decade or more. Different from but equally as good as the Bastard Hill, which shares the same soil but is at higher elevation." - Philip Rich
97+ points, July 2026.
Wine Details
- Region Yarra Valley, Victoria
- Vintage 2025
- Type Red Wine
- Variety Pinot Noir
- Vegan Friendly ✔
- Volume 750ml
- Alcohol Volume 14%
- pH 3.52
- Acidity 5.4g/L
- Closure ScrewCap
- Bottling Date 13 January, 2026
- Harvest Date 2 March, 2025
- Background Single Vineyard
- Vintage Notes The 2025 season kicked off with a generous, wet winter that filled the soil profile with moisture. From there, spring arrived warm and dry. Shoots pushed early; we had fantastic spring conditions during flowering and fruit set. The dry season pushed growth and ripening along even though temperatures weren’t hot, in fact barely warmer than average, a pleasant surprise for the dryness of the season. Harvest came earlier than usual and moved quickly, a compressed vintage that asked a great deal of the team and rewarded the effort with fruit of exceptional quality, concentration and weight.
- Vineyard Notes Location: Woori Yallock Planted: 2001 Elevation: 240 metres Soil type: Red clay loam Aspect: North and north-east facing slopes Size: 12 Hectares After discovering the Yarra Valley wines 25 years ago, Lou Primavera planted this vineyard in Hoddles Creek in 2001. We have a long-standing relationship with the Primavera family, having sourced fruit from the vineyard from 2006. This small vineyard has Pinot planted on two slopes of the gully right at the start of the Lone Star Creek – with MV6 planted on north slope and 115 and G-clone on south slope. This vineyard always produced our most floral, red fruited and fragrant Pinot Noir, with a sweetness and softness.
- Winemaking Handpicked, fermented in a combination of small oak fermenters and stainless-steel open vats. Each clone was fermented and matured separately. The 115 was fermented with 100% whole bunches while the MV6 and G clone were 100% destemmed. The destemmed batches a 4-day cold soak before the start of fermentation. The ferments spent between 18 days on skins, with gentle mixing throughout that time using gravity. The resulting blend is 16% whole bunch fermented. All parcels completed malolactic fermentation and were then matured in French oak Barriques (225L) – 18% new, 82% seasoned – for nine months. The wine matured in oak and kept in contact with its lees before blending in November. Bottled by gravity. No fining. No filtration.
- Peak Drinking / Cellaring Potential Now - eight years
Halliday Wine Companion
"From Lou Primavera's '01-planted vineyard at 300m on red volcanic soils in Woori Yallock. A deep, bright crimson. A more concentrated and brooding Primavera. Aromas of damson plum, dark raspberry, lightly crushed violets and star anise. It's concentrated on the palate, too, with persistent and textured tannins that'll ensure this ages slowly and gracefully over a decade or more. Different from but equally as good as the Bastard Hill, which shares the same soil but is at higher elevation." - Philip Rich
97+ points, July 2026.
Wine Details
- Region Yarra Valley, Victoria
- Vintage 2025
- Type Red Wine
- Variety Pinot Noir
- Vegan Friendly ✔
- Volume 750ml
- Alcohol Volume 14%
- pH 3.52
- Acidity 5.4g/L
- Closure ScrewCap
- Bottling Date 13 January, 2026
- Harvest Date 2 March, 2025
- Background Single Vineyard
- Vintage Notes The 2025 season kicked off with a generous, wet winter that filled the soil profile with moisture. From there, spring arrived warm and dry. Shoots pushed early; we had fantastic spring conditions during flowering and fruit set. The dry season pushed growth and ripening along even though temperatures weren’t hot, in fact barely warmer than average, a pleasant surprise for the dryness of the season. Harvest came earlier than usual and moved quickly, a compressed vintage that asked a great deal of the team and rewarded the effort with fruit of exceptional quality, concentration and weight.
- Vineyard Notes Location: Woori Yallock Planted: 2001 Elevation: 240 metres Soil type: Red clay loam Aspect: North and north-east facing slopes Size: 12 Hectares After discovering the Yarra Valley wines 25 years ago, Lou Primavera planted this vineyard in Hoddles Creek in 2001. We have a long-standing relationship with the Primavera family, having sourced fruit from the vineyard from 2006. This small vineyard has Pinot planted on two slopes of the gully right at the start of the Lone Star Creek – with MV6 planted on north slope and 115 and G-clone on south slope. This vineyard always produced our most floral, red fruited and fragrant Pinot Noir, with a sweetness and softness.
- Winemaking Handpicked, fermented in a combination of small oak fermenters and stainless-steel open vats. Each clone was fermented and matured separately. The 115 was fermented with 100% whole bunches while the MV6 and G clone were 100% destemmed. The destemmed batches a 4-day cold soak before the start of fermentation. The ferments spent between 18 days on skins, with gentle mixing throughout that time using gravity. The resulting blend is 16% whole bunch fermented. All parcels completed malolactic fermentation and were then matured in French oak Barriques (225L) – 18% new, 82% seasoned – for nine months. The wine matured in oak and kept in contact with its lees before blending in November. Bottled by gravity. No fining. No filtration.
- Peak Drinking / Cellaring Potential Now - eight years
Kind Words & Accolades
Brightly fruited, with vibrant acidity that gives the wine freshness and energy.
Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion, 95 points, March 20262025 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
An excellent Sexton to drink now and over the next six to eight years.
Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion, 97 points, July 20262025 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay
As good a Giant Steps entry point as I have tasted.
Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion, 96 points, March 20262025 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
A more concentrated and brooding Primavera.
Philip Rich - Wine Companion, 97+ points, July 20262025 Giant Steps Primavera Vineyard Pinot Noir
Not sure I've tasted a better Applejack Pinot, which is saying something.
Philip Rich - Wine Companion, 98+ points, July 20262025 Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir