Giant Steps Yarra Valley Syrah 2015

Giant Steps is recognized as a global benchmark for cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They also make some very smart shiraz - the 2015 Giant Steps Yarra Valley Syrah being a case in point. The winery was established in 1998, one year after founder Phil Sexton arrived in the Yarra Valley in search of ideal sites to produce wines of purity and finesse.

"The 27yo vines are in full flower, this joining a distinguished band of Yarra Valley shirazes of the highest quality from vines planted in the '70s and '80s. It is full-bodied in the best sense, simply thanks to the intensity of the black fruit, spice, pepper and licorice symphony of flavours. I will have been gone for generations before this wine calls time."  James Halliday

The Yarra Valley range is made from handpicked fruit from all of Giant Step's estate vineyards - Sexton, Applejack, Primavera, Swallowfield, Wombat Creek and Tarraford Vineyards. The wines are produced using indigenous yeasts, gravity-flow winemaking, and minimal fining and filtration. This approach produces highly expressive wines, true to the regional characteristics of the Yarra Valley.

The Yarra Valley Syrah comes from the Sexton and Tarraford Vineyards. The Syrah is predominantly the Red Dog 67 clone that was propagated from their original block 2 vines – that clone is unique to Tarraford and carries a special perfume. 95% whole bunch fermentation in a single 4000l open French oak vat, light plunging, matured in French puncheons (new and used) for 18 months; 300 dozen made.

Expert reviews

"Full, rich crimson-purple; the 27yo vines are in full flower, this joining a distinguished band of Yarra Valley shirazes of the highest quality from vines planted in the '70s and '80s. It is full-bodied in the best sense, simply thanks to the intensity of the black fruit, spice, pepper and licorice symphony of flavours. I will have been gone for generations before this wine calls time. Gold medal Yarra Valley Wine Show '16. Drink by 2055.”  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 97 points and Special Value Wine  ★   

"Deep purple/red colour, the aromas peppery, spicy and stemmy from whole-bunch ferments. The palate is full-bodied and powerful, concentrated for a Yarra shiraz and well-structured, with abundant tannins. Great palate extension and persistence. A very smart wine indeed. Drink: 2016–2035."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 95 points

"You like Yarra Valley shiraz? Here's a belter. It is a 'must buy' if this is your thing. Look what we have here. A Yarra Valley syrah grown on the Sexton and Tarraford vineyards. 40% whole bunches. Open fermented. Matured in 500 litre puncheons. From a fabulous vintage and at the hand of Steve Flamstead, one of Australia's best winemakers. It has all the right credentials and yet it tastes even better than it sounds. It is just the ticket. Cherry plum, crushed dry leaves, the most blessed slow-crash of tannin, herbage and black pepper, all carried along on a river of silk. Eucalypt and clove characters play side roles. The sleeves of this wine are folded immaculately. It's neat, tidy, contained. But it's pure and beautiful; it sits in the glass with its heart wide open."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 95 points

Awards

Gold Medal - 2016 Yarra Valley Wine Show
Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion  ★ 

About the winery

 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.