"A blend of all the single-vineyard wines. 40% whole bunches. A medium, bright crimson red. A beautifully fragrant wine with its aromas of perfectly ripened strawberry, black raspberry, rose, lavender and cinnamon stick. Unfurls on the medium-bodied, textured and mouth-filling palate. The tannins are succulent and you barely notice the whole bunches. A step up on last year's Circle of Fifths and a wine that will still be looking good a decade from now." - Philip Rich

At Giant Steps, we hand pick 100% of our fruit and fastidiously hand sort in the vineyard. Pinot Noir follows one of two pathways: either fermented semi carbonic with 100% whole bunch, or destemmed and fermented as whole berries. The approach for each parcel is determined by clone, vineyard, stem ripeness and flavour profile.
Whole bunch batches are fermented warm with minimal mixing for around 14 days. Destemmed parcels undergo a three-day cold soak before being allowed to warm naturally and begin fermentation. Cap management is carried out using gravity drain and returns, allowing for gentle extraction prior to pressing. The wines are transferred by gravity to French oak barriques for malolactic fermentation and remain on lees throughout maturation.
The parcels are blended in spring ahead of bottling in January. The 2025 Circle of Fifths Pinot Noir includes 20% whole bunch parcels and 22% new French oak, and is bottled by gravity without fining or filtration.