Yarra Valley (11) Giant Steps
Giant Steps winery was started in the Yarra Valley by Phil Sexton in the late 1990s. He is a serial entrepreneur and founded and sold two breweries (Matilda Bay and Little Creatures and a winery (Devil’s Lair) in Western Australia, before moving to the Yarra Valley and planting a vineyard in 1997 (the first vintage of Giant Steps was 2001).
For many years it performed well, under the guiding hand of talented winemaker Steve Flamsteed. But in 2021 it was purchased by US-based Jackson Family Wines, who also own McLaren Vale wineries Hickinbotham and Yangarra.
Immediately, hey appointed a new head of winemaking and viticulture, Melanie Chester. She arrived in November 2021, so her first vintage was 2022, and it wasn’t a vintage you’d necessarily choose to start with at a new job. ‘It was horrendous in terms of crop,’ she says. ‘Three of the last vintages have been affected by La Niña, with a cold, wet spring and flowering, and bad winds.’ The Yarra was up to 60% down in yield, and Giant Steps was 35% down overall. ‘But with this came more concentration.’ There was a normal bunch count, but they were just much smaller than usual. Chardonnay bunches weighed 55-60 g when they normally weigh 110 g, and the MV6 clone Pinot was as low as 45 g per bunch. This influenced winemaking decisions: ‘for Pinot the stem to juice ratio would be out of whack for whole bunch,’ she says. 2023 was also a difficult vintage. ‘The best vintages are the cooler ones like these,’ says Melanie, ‘but from a farming perspective they were pretty tough.’
Melanie began her winemaking career at Treasury, with stints at Great Western and Seppelt. Then she had a long spell at Sutton Grange in Victoria.
The Jackson Family Wines resources are evident in that they have bought and renovated the impressive Bastard Hill Vineyard, planted for sparkling back in 1985 by Ray Guerin, but now making impressive Chardonnay and Pinot Noir still wines from its steep slopes.
They have sold their winery in Healsville and are transferring across the impressive gravity flow set-up that they had built there to a new winery. ‘Gravity is a massive part of the quality of the wines,’ says Melanie. Steve Flamsteed, the previous chief winemaker, is still involved in the current venture, and also on the winemaking team is Michael Latham, senior winemaker, who joined in 2020.
Giant Steps Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 Yarra Valley
Mostly P58 clone. Lovely fruit intensity here. This is a superbly balanced Chardonnay with a lovely dynamic range, with powerful citrus and some pear and white peach fruit, with lovely fruit, a fine grapefruit-like acidity, and some subtle toasty, spicy notes in the mix. There’s some richness, but it finishes alert and bright with amazing precision on the finish. Thrilling, with weight and complexity, and also some generosity. 96/100
Giant Steps Applejack Chardonnay 2023 Yarra Valley
This is across the road from Willow Lake. 220-290 m. This is a 13 hectare property with 1.8 ha of Chardonnay, all I10 clone. Grey clay soils. Complex, lively and mineral with an exoticpineapple hint to the keen citrus fruit. Lots of concentration and intensity here, with keen acidity. Lovely precision. This is tightwound and expressive with power and precision, finishing with a blast of lime and grapefruit. 96/100
Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 Yarra Valley
Gruyere sub region, with Bernard clones on the slope going down to the dam, and also some Mendoza clone at the bottom. 20% new oak. Bright and focused with appealing citrus and pear fruit, with some depth. Has crystalline citrus fruit on the palate with good definition and some spicy detail. Nice weight and length, with some depth, without losing focus. 95/100
Giant Steps Bastard Hill Chardonnay 2023 Yarra Valley
This is taut, concentrated and very fine. There’s a lovely purity to the lemon and lime fruit, with just a slight hint of peach and pear richness, showing lovely crystalline fruit with a stony minerality sitting underneath. Not showy: this is restrained and intense with lovely precision, and potential for development. One of Australia’s great Chardonnays. 97/100
Giant Steps Bastard Hill Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley
The first release from this vineyard at 400 m. Planted in 1987 in the boom of sparkling. Two sides divided by a central hill. It’s a very marginal site and they reckon one vintage in ten there won’t be a harvest, and in many years a lot of the fruit will have to be declassified, but once every five years they’ll make something remarkable. 1000 litres/6 barriques made. Very late vintage, and fully destemmed. MV6 and D clone Pinot. There’s a beautiful texture and harmony to this wine with raspberry, cherry and strawberry fruit. Fine and silky but with this lovely nervy fine-grained mineral notes and super-fine tannin. Ethereal and exotic with amazing texture. 96/100
Giant Steps Primavera Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley
Nice precision and delicacy here. Floral and bright with nice grip, but nothing heavy at all. Cherries, raspberries, some wild strawberry, as well as a touch of tomato, with nice flow across the palate. Very fine and bright, showing a bit of structure. Such prettiness. 95/100
Giant Steps Applejack Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley
Gladysdale. Eastern-facing. 25% whole cluster. Fresh, bright and dynamic with lovely red cherry and redcurrant fruit. There’s a precision and brightness here with some mineral detail and grippy, well-integrated structure. Very fine, quite primary, but with amazing potential for development, although it’s good to go now. Such brightness but also elegance. 96/100
Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023 Yarra Valley
Great concentration here, with nice intensity. Robust red cherry and berry fruits with a touch of strawberry, and well integrated savoury characters. It’s a complete wine, with concentration and harmony, lots of fruit, and some structure. There’s flesh that covers all the bones in a really nice way. 95/100
For a more in-depth report on Giant Steps based on an August 2024 visit for the launch of Bastard Hill, see here.
YARRA VALLEY
