Description
Halliday Wine Companion's Winery of the Year!
"Giant Steps, right now, breathes rare air. It’s been an outstanding winery for a long time, but the combination of energy and expertise – and no doubt plenty more besides – that winemaker Melanie Chester has brought since she arrived at the winery in November 2021 has frankly been breathtaking... In short, it’s a thrilling range to drink from."
- Campbell Mattinson (Halliday Wine Companion)
The Giant Steps Bastard Hill Vineyard Chardonnay is a notable new addition to the Giant Steps single vineyard range, with 2023 being the first release under the leadership of winemaker Mel Chester.
Planted by the legendary Ray Guerin in 1986, this site in Gladysdale sits at elevations between 300 and 400 metres, providing a cool climate and volcanic loam soils that are perfect for producing Chardonnay of exceptional purity and focus. Acquired by Giant Steps in 2022, Bastard Hill has long been celebrated as one of Australia’s great Chardonnay sites, initially producing high-quality sparkling wine and later becoming renowned for its still wines.
The 2023 vintage was marked by cool temperatures and a late harvest, allowing for excellent fruit concentration and natural acidity. The Chardonnay grapes, characterised by small bunches, were handpicked and whole-bunch pressed. Fermentation took place in 500L French oak puncheons, with 25% undergoing malolactic fermentation. The wine was matured for nine months in a combination of second-use and seasoned oak, adding complexity without overwhelming the fruit's inherent character.
This Chardonnay offers an enticing bouquet of nashi pear, pink grapefruit, crushed rock, and a hint of honeysuckle. On the palate, it is incisive and chalky, with flavours of lemon, pear, and a whisper of sea spray. The wine balances concentrated intensity with a gentle creaminess, showcasing its potential to age gracefully.
Giant Steps continue to push the boundaries of what's possible with Yarra Valley Chardonnay, and this new wine further enhances their reputation as one of the region's, and country's, finest producers.
98 points
"This is its first wine from the vineyard. And what a wine it is! A brilliant and pure scented bouquet of nashi, pink grapefruit, crushed rock, sea spray and honeysuckle. There's a hint of fresh honeycomb, too. Incisive, pure and chalky on the palate, this concentrated yet light on its feet wine is reminiscent of good Corton-Charlemagne. That it will age gracefully is a given." - Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)
96 points
"It’s intense, it’s bony, and it’s long. It’s very Upper Yarra. It showed a bit of cedarwood oak when I first opened it, as in a bit too much, but once it had been allowed to breathe it seemed precisely in balance. This wine tastes of grapefruit and chalk, lemon and pear, with musk and sea-spray characters driven within. It has genuine, penetrative momentum, tempered by a gentle, textural creaminess. Flint is not part of the Giant Steps style but there’s a smidgen of it here, just enough to complex. This chardonnay is nothing if not a wine for the cellar. It doesn’t want you to flirt with it; it wants you to invest."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
Price Bracket | $51 to $100 |
Type | White |
Body | Full Bodied |
Variety | Chardonnay |
Country | Australia |
Region | Yarra Valley |
Australian State | VIC |
Feature |
Women in Wine High Score |
Reviewed By |
Halliday Wine Companion The Wine Front Decanter |
Critic Score |
98 96 |
Alcohol | 14% |
Size | 750ml |
Vintage | 2023 |
Closure | Screw Cap |
Giant Steps
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