2022 Giant Steps Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay

Highly Rated
Driven, taut Chardonnay from one of the cooler sites in the Giant Steps vineyard portfolio.

Price:
Sale price$75.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship

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Description

This Chardonnay comes from the iconic Tarraford vineyard in the Yarra Valley. Located in a sheltered valley, this gorgeous vineyard has a distinctly cooler microclimate than its neighbouring sites.

It's round and powerful with citrus fruit abundant and a delicious savoury oatmeal character on the back end. Classically the most open and ready for business of the Single Vineyard Chardonnays from Giant Steps.

This is yet another knockout wine from the Giant Steps team and extremely limited this release.


97 Points
"An engaging and lovely wine. Opens with subtle scents of pink grapefruit, orange blossom and coriander seeds. Builds nicely on the gently textured, saline and structured palate before finishing zesty and long. The sort of wine that begs you to take another sip." -
Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

Vintage Notes


2022 was a high quality but low yielding season in the Yarra Valley. A very cool, wet and stormy spring resulted in some challenging conditions around flowering and hence very poor fruit set. The season proceeded to dry out into December, with a dry and warm Christmas period. This exacerbated the already small bunch weights, leading to bunches that weighed up to 40% lower than average. The mild summer meant long, slow ripening and flavour concentration throughout summer, with some well-placed rain in January refreshing the vineyards at just the right time. The strong canopies and low fruit load meant we sailed neatly into picking with very little disease or weather pressure affecting our picking decisions. The grapes from 2022 came off the vine with lovely concentration and flavour and great natural acidity.



Vineyard Notes


Location: Tarrawarra Planted: 1988 Elevation: 100 metres Soil Type: Grey clay loam Aspect: North, south and east facing slopes Size: 8.5 Hectares Located in a protected valley, Tarraford Vineyard has a discreet microclimate that is cooler than neighbouring sites. Although located in a warmer part of the valley, the Chardonnay at Tarraford is planted on the cooler slopes. One block, with P58, 548 and 96 clones planted on a southerly facing and tucked into the central vale of the vineyard. The other faces directly east, with lovely eastern morning aspect, which we picked last. This vineyard produces Chardonnay with lovely pithy fruit characters, savoury saline notes and a soft and textured mid palate, finished with line and length driven by natural acidity.



Winemaking


100% hand picked and hole bunch pressed. The juice was then transferred directly to barrel by gravity with no settling, taking full gross lees. Wild fermented in 500L French oak puncheons. Bâtonnage in Autumn, 20% malolactic fermentation. Matured for 10 months in new and used French oak – 20% new, 80% older, Taransaud, Dargaud & Jaeglé and Mercurey.

97 Points - "The warmest site among Giant Steps' four single-vineyard chardonnays, though planted on a cool, south-facing slope in Tarrawarra. Whole-bunch pressed and barrel fermented in French puncheons (25% new) with 10% mlf. An engaging and lovely wine. Opens with subtle scents of pink grapefruit, orange blossom and coriander seeds. Builds nicely on the gently textured, saline and structured palate before finishing zesty and long. The sort of wine that begs you to take another sip." -
Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

Giant Steps

Giant Steps is a premium Yarra Valley outfit founded by Phil Sexton and located in the township of Healesville. Beginning with the vision of original head winemaker Steve Flamsteed, Giant Steps developed an international reputation for producing some of Australia's finest examples of single vineyard Pinot Noir & Chardonnay.

In 2021 the exceptionally talented Melanie Chester joined the team as the new head of winemaking and viticulture, marking an exciting new chapter in this elite producer's story.

Every aspect of the Giant Steps process is geared towards making truly world-class wines from the vineyard to the final bottled wine. The focus is on what the Yarra does best - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Shiraz/Syrah and Bordeaux-variety blends - and showcasing the unique terroirs of some of the region's finest vineyards.

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