Giant Steps Yarra Valley, Yarra Valley Chardonnay

Producing a range of Giant Steps wines using fruit blended from across the estate vineyards has been a topic of discussion for many years. These wines were born from a desire to produce a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of Giant Steps quality, which are expressive of the regional characteristics of the Yarra Valley rather than a single site. Fruit for this wine is sourced from the Sexton, Tarraford, Applejack and Wombat Creek vineyards.

The 2023 vintage saw cool and wet conditions throughout the entire growing season, delaying both the start of this tough vintage. Spring was often wet in the Yarra Valley, with record volumes of rain from September until December. The frequent downpours elevated disease pressure but also made access to the vineyards an arduous task from waterlogged earth. A small stretch of warmer conditions dried out the vineyards, followed by well timed rainfall rolling into summer. Much credit of this vintage goes to the appearance of sun in the critical weeks of flowering, allowing a healthy berry set and abundant pristine fruit. The 2023 wines of Giant Steps are light and expressive, with varietal typicity shining through.

Wines from the Yarra Valley range are produced using indigenous yeasts, gravity-flow winemaking and minimal fining and filtration. All the fruit is 100% hand picked and fermented in 500 litre French oak puncheons, of which 15% are new and 85% older oak. 10% of the blend underwent malolactic conversion. The wine was then sulphured and kept on lees in barrel until October, prior to blending and bottling.