Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2022

James Suckling Top 100 Wines of Australia 2023

"In true Giant Steps style, the 2022 Single Vineyard release walks the line with swagger and palpable energy. Mel Chester hits it out of the park."  Shanteh Wale

Giant Steps is recognized as a global benchmark for cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The winery was established in 1998, one year after founder Phil Sexton arrived in the Yarra Valley in search of ideal sites to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of purity and finesse. The Giant Steps Single Vineyard range is produced from the most site-expressive fruit off the best vineyards in great years.

"This is an exceptional, mid-weighted chardonnay. Taut and seamless. The finish is endless, joining a matrix of textural rivets and seams. With wines such as these it is little wonder that Australia boasts the finest expressions of chardonnay with Burgundy."  Ned Goodwin MW

The Sexton Vineyard is located at Gruyere in the Lower Yarra Valley and was planted in 1997. The 30 hectare vineyard is at an elevation of 130-210 metres and has north facing slopes on grey clay soils.

"100% hand picked – a spectacular year with every block and clone contributing to the final blend. Whole bunch pressed, juice transferred to barrel by gravity with no settling. Fermented in 500L French puncheons. A small amount of bâtonnage and 20% malolactic fermentation. Maturation for 10 months in new and used French oak – 20% new, 80% older, Taransaud, Mercurey and D&J."  Giant Steps

Expert reviews

"Directly fed to the barrel by gravity and fermented on gross lees in 500L French oak puncheons. 10 months maturation in 20% new french oak and 80% in older oak. Located on the north slopes of the Warramate Ranges. For a lot of Chardonnay drinkers this is the gateway drug to all Giant Steps wines. The Sexton has a reputation, one of high toned citrus and a basket of perfectly ripe nectarines, white peaches and yellow plum. It’s completely alluring with ground ginger, nutmeg and baked Madeleine biscuits. It slinks like a leopard across your palate and then springs with the force of driving acidity. A fine thread of grippy tannins and a bouncy weight which has you reaching back for the glass. This personifies the whole Giants Steps range of perfectly ripe fruit, texture and a fine balance of line. Drinking beautifully and will cellar up to 7 years. Drink with Carbonara, however you make it, cream or no cream. This will be a perfect partnership."  Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot – 97 points

"Made from a 50/50% blend of Gingin and Bernard (or Dijon, as it's often referred to) clones planted on north-facing soil in Gruyere. Whole bunches pressed to French puncheons, 20% new oak. A bright green gold. The most immediate of the four single-vineyard chardonnays from Giant Steps in 2022. Perfectly ripened white peach and apricot aromas with scents of German spiced biscuits and a little flint. Textured with good intensity, this silky wine flows effortlessly across the palate. Drink by 2027."  Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion - 96 points

"This is an exceptional, mid-weighted chardonnay. A mesh of unresolved CO2 and juicy acidity provide trajectory. Vanilla pod oak provides direction. Taut and seamless. Lemon curd and roasted quince, nestled amidst creamed cashew, nougatine and truffle at the core. The finish is endless, joining a matrix of textural rivets and seams, underlain by the flavorful Gingin clone. With wines such as these it is little wonder that Australia boasts the finest expressions of chardonnay with Burgundy. Drinkable now, but best from 2025."  Ned Goodwin MW, JamesSuckling.com - 96 points and Top 100 Wines of Australia 2023

"Steel and spice, some dry pear, citrus, apples, preserved lemons and pink ginger. Wonderfully intense but at ease with it; what this wine does is take its intensity and run with it. This is a wine. Upfront and backwards at once. Go. Drink: 2024-2030+."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front – 95+ points

"Complex aromas of wet stone, struck match, just-ripe nectarine, white flowers and melon skin: there’s a whole lot going on here. Fine, textured, mouth-filling and layered with stone fruit, grapefruit pith, minerals, nuts and talc. Long, layered and very complex with punchy acidity and a nice lick of phenolic grip. Drink: 2023–2033."  Aaron Brasher, The Real Review - 95 points

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James Suckling Top 100 Wines of Australia 2023

 In 1997 Phil Sexton arrived in the Yarra Valley in search of ideal sites to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of purity and finesse. He was looking for sites with altitude, aged soils, slopes of exposure, regular rainfall and cool to cold nighttime temperatures and a gentle breeze off the protecting mountain ranges. The Giant Steps winery was established one year later in 1998.

The focus is on the production of high-quality, single-vineyard wines. The Giant Steps Single Vineyard range is produced from the most site-expressive fruit off the best vineyards in great years. Each single vineyard wine tells a story about the vineyard, vintage and variety. Production of these wines is very limited with some vineyards producing as little as 200 cases.

The single vineyards comprise the Sexton Vineyard in the Lower Yarra and the Applejack Vineyard in the Upper Yarra (both owned by Giant Steps), the Tarraford Vineyard in the Lower Yarra under long-term lease, the Primavera Vineyard in the Upper Yarra under long-term supervised contract and the Wombat Creek Vineyard owned by Hand Picked Wines. In addition, Giant Steps produce a Yarra Valley range of wines made from handpicked fruit from their estate vineyards. They are highly expressive wines, true to the regional characteristics of the Yarra Valley. 

The Giant Steps wines have received global acclaim and are now recognized as a global benchmark for cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Since 2003 Giant Steps wines have been awarded 34 trophies and over 100 gold medals at major international and domestic wine shows and has been named one of the Top 100 Wineries in the World by US Wine & Spirits Magazine for each of the last six years.

Giant Step's success is due in no small part to Steve Flamsteed, Chief Winemaker since 2003. Steve had previously worked for Leeuwin Estate (1999 – 2002) and the Hardy Wine Company at their Yarra Burn Winery in the Yarra Valley (2002 – 2003). Steve was named Gourmet Traveller Wine 'Winemaker of the Year' in 2016. "Steve Flamsteed is a man of many talents with a finely tuned palate, an instinctive flair for winemaking and fastidious attention to detail. This shows particularly in the stunning single-vineyard chardonnays and pinots of Giant Steps: distinctive wines that reflect their sites and glow with impeccable finesse."  Peter Forrestal, chairman of judges, Gourmet Traveller Wine Winemaker of the Year

Melanie Chester joined Giant Steps as Head of Winemaking and Viticulture in 2021. She came to Giant Steps from Sutton Grange Winery in Central Victoria, where she was Head Winemaker. In 2014, Melanie became the youngest ever scholar selected for The Len Evans Tutorial. In 2015, she was named Young Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine, and in 2018, Melanie was recognized by Young Gun of Wine as the People's Choice award winner for favourite winemaker.

Giant Steps was acquired by the Jackson Family in 2020. The Jackson Family own a vast stable of wineries in California (Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Monterey County, Santa Barbara and Oregon), Australia (Yarra Valley and McLaren Vale), Chile, France, Italy and South Africa.