The 2024 Applejack Pinot Noir is a beautifully perfumed, high-altitude expression of the Upper Yarra — a vineyard celebrated for producing some of Giant Steps’ most finely structured and aromatic Pinots. The cooler 2024 season has amplified everything Applejack is known for: purity, tension, and remarkable finesse.

The nose is lifted and precise, offering wild strawberry, crushed raspberry, sour cherry and rose petal, layered with hints of pink peppercorn, spice and wet stone. There’s an immediate sense of vineyard character — that tight, cool-climate aromatic signature that critics often describe as “vivid, floral and sculpted.”

On the palate, the wine is silky, energetic and beautifully linear. Red fruits—raspberry, red cherry, pomegranate—sit at the core, supported by ultra-fine tannins and a streak of minerality unique to Applejack’s basalt-rich soils. The 2024 vintage brings extra clarity and definition, giving the wine both delicacy and quiet power. Subtle notes of forest floor, spice and black tea add complexity without weight.

The finish is long, pure and gently savoury, tapering off with citrus zest, red berry and a fine chalkiness that promises excellent ageing potential.

A superb, tightly wound Applejack Pinot with immediate charm and a decade of growth ahead.