Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015

Philip Rich Top 20 Wines of 2016

"Hooleydooley. If ya like ya pinot noir, and well, most of us do, then ya gunna like the Giant Steps 2015s. Perfect storm. How good are these vineyards? How good is Steve Flamsteed and co?"  Mike Bennie

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. 

"Haze of cherry, sweet maraschino cherry, faint fennel, sniff of briar, exotic spice, touch of vanilla bean, but sweet as all that sounds, it's more amaro sour-sweet than anything. And superb. Such volume of perfume too. Palate has an almost tactile white pepper dusting, feathery and suede tannins build that tactile feel, the wine draws long on an sleek elastic band of juicy, bright cherry fruit, that spice, glossy acidity. It sits in palate even, fine, long, restrained, finessed. Cashmere on the tongue. Far out."  Mike Bennie

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, has north facing slopes on grey clay soils and is planted to MV6, G5V15, POM5 and D clones.

The fruit for the 2015 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir was hand picked and fermentation occurs in 4000L open oak vats and 5000L open fermenters.  It is 40% whole bunch and sees 11 months in used (75%) and new (25%) French Oak with no filtration at bottling. 

Expert reviews

"A regular in my annual top 20, Giant Steps’ winemaker Steve Flamsteed was justifiably named Gourmet Traveller Wine Winemaker of the Year in September. He made four single-vineyard pinots in 2015 and the combination of a relatively warm site in Coldstream and a cool year has resulted in a beautiful lower Yarra pinot. Fermented in 4000-litre wooden vats and with 40 per cent whole bunches, which you can barely detect, there are aromas of red and dark fruits together with some spice. The palate is concentrated, complex and balanced."  Philip Rich, Australian Financial Review -  Top 20 Wines of 2016

"Shares the superb colour of its siblings; here, generosity takes the stage with richness and tannins woven into the superabundant red and black fruits by invisible mending. A brilliant wine by whatever standards you may choose. Drink to 2027."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 97 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"The most cerebral, layered, spicy and complex of the 2015 Giant Steps single-vineyard wines, this has a handy mix of savory and sweet aromas. There are cloves, chalky/stony smells, saffron and a swirling array of rose-like fragrances. It's really engaging and gently herbal, opening up into warmed, peppery spices and some musky florals, too. The palate is cut with finesse and detail and is really engaging and structurally complex for a pinot. The tannins strike the gentlest of grainy textures through fine pastry-like layers of fruit. Meanwhile, hints of blood-orange flavors meet crunchy red cherries and wild raspberries. Elegant yet powerful. Superb — their best to date. Delicious enough to drink now, but you'd be mad not to give it 5+ years. There is much to come!"  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 97 points

"Sexton is in the Warramatte Ranges. Low yields. This is all hand-picked fruit, 40% is whole bunch in the ferment. Fermentation is natural, spends 11 months in 75% used oak, 25% new. Strap in.

Haze of cherry, sweet maraschino cherry, faint fennel, sniff of briar, exotic spice, touch of vanilla bean, but sweet as all that sounds, it's more amaro sour-sweet than anything. And superb. Such volume of perfume too. Palate has an almost tactile white pepper dusting, feathery and suede tannins build that tactile feel, the wine draws long on an sleek elastic band of juicy, bright cherry fruit, that spice, glossy acidity. It sits in palate even, fine, long, restrained, finessed. Cashmere on the tongue. Far out. Drink: 2016-2030."  Mike Bennie, The Wine Front - 96 points

Awards

Philip Rich Top 20 Wines of 2016, Australian Financial Review
Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion  ★ 

 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.