Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2023

Maker:

Since 1997, Giant Steps has built a reputation based on expressive wines with purity and finesse out of Yarra Valley. These are wines that reflect individual vineyard sites, located across the Yarra Valley from Tarrawarra to Gladysdale. Giant Steps was founded by wine industry pioneer Phil Sexton, who journeyed from Margaret River to Yarra Valley looking for the ideal site to cultivate pure and finessed Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Eventually, Phil found his hallowed ground near Gruyere in the Sexton vineyard, which he planted in 1997 on the steep slopes of the Warramate Ranges. The name comes from John Coltrane's album "Giant Steps", which felt like a fitting choice given the steep slopes of the vineyard and Phil's love of jazz. In 2003, Winemaker Steve Flamsteed came aboard, another muso, and the two set about producing a range of iconic Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that express a profound sense of place from six finite sites in Yarra Valley.

Melanie Chester, became Head of Winemaking and Viticulture at Giant Steps in 2021, her long-held admiration for the winery comes with an intrinsic pressure to honour the expressions and diversity of its single sites. Mel, says she is "committed to ensuring that the quality will be the same if not better.” This means keeping the winemaking tight and transparent, so that diversity of site is what you taste. Giant Steps has been advancing Australia’s reputation for cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for the past 20 years, the addition of Mel's craft and energy will ensure this legacy continues.

The proof in the pudding. Giant Steps was awarded 2025 Halliday Winery of the Year and Pinot Noir of the Year. A huge achievement that's been years in the making. Of course Mel takes none of the credit (the best seldom do), instead she props up everyone involved until now, founder Phil Sexton, winemaker Steve Flamsteed, grower Lou Primavera and respected viticulturist Ray Guerin. 

True, there's much to celebrate at Giant Steps, and it's impossible not to mention the new(-ish) Bastard Hill Vineyard release among them. Wine journalist, Campbell Mattinson paints a colourful gist of the site, "the Bastard Hill vineyard, named for obvious reasons, has been left to sleep out there on its steep mountain slopes as the bastard child of the companies formerly known as Hardy’s. As a result this should-be-great vineyard has been left out there in the cold, hidden away, myth-like, talked about but not seen, and rarely tasted, like a giant, an unlikely giant, a sleeping one." This vineyard of untapped protentional, is in the upper reaches of the Yarra Valley, planted in 1986, a vineyard too ahead of its time. Until now this nearly 40 years old vineyard had only shown glimpses of greatness, contributing to Eileen Hardy's chardonnay in the 90s and top Yarra Burn releases, only glimpses but more than enough to know the 'Bastard' would be worth the effort.

Vineyard:

2023 was a small, high-quality vintage in the Yarra Valley. The season was defined by a cool Spring, a mild growing season, cool nights, and medium to high rainfall. 2023 was one of the coolest and latest harvests on record, with their first pick starting two and a half weeks later than the previous average. The grapes in 2023 had lovely fruit concentration with bright natural acidities. Chardonnay from Applejack needs lots of attention to detail in the vineyard, a big emphasis on crop loads and fruit exposure to ensure even ripeness and acid levels. 

Located on the steep north facing slopes of the Warramate Ranges, the Sexton Vineyard is an icon Chardonnay Vineyard. Being on the higher slopes, topsoil is thin and root systems have established themselves in shallow gravelly loams above a tough rocky clay base. Bunch yields set naturally low in this environment, resulting in intensely flavoured fruit with high skin to juice ratio. The predominant clones are Gingin and Mendoza which produce hens and chickens (large and small grapes on the same bunch), which results in high white tannin and phenolic content to balance the citrus flavours. This vineyard produces their most confident and open chardonnays due to it’s northern aspect and exposure and clonal selection.

Nose - Yuzu, Ginger Snap Biscuits, Salted Lemon
Pungent freshness, exotic yuzu, ginger snap biscuit and preserve lemon. 

Palate - Ripened White Peach, Pear, Sea Spray
Perfectly ripened white peach, pear and some marine scents lead onto the palate, which is gently textured, saline and structured.

Finish - Nutty, Sizzling Mineral Feel, Long
Finishes with a lovely texture from the characteristic Gingin tannins and acidity, nutty and long.