96 points - "An exciting new addition to the Giant Steps range, this new blend of all the single-vineyard wines is an absolute cracker and sits very comfortably in the range, both qualitatively and price-wise. Aromas of gently grilled nuts, confit lemon and a touch of struck match can all be found on the bouquet, while the palate is chalky, tensile and long. By the time this is released in June it should be singing." - Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "It’s a killer chardonnay. Direct, powerful, long, potent with mid-palate flavour but searing and complex through the finish. Flint, white peach, lemon curd, pure lemon, steel and a delicious marshalling of hay, meal, cedar and woodsmoke characters all have this wine rocketing along. It’s both dramatic and controlled. It tastes and feels like a wine from a producer who is at the top of its game." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

95 points - "Here is a wine that speaks most loudly of the Yarra and secondly of its Giant Steps roots. Yellow grapefruit, winter melon and crunchy nectarine. Crumbling chalk dust, blue stone and almond paste. There is an inherent fruity jingle that chimes throughout the drinking experience, this is meant to be drunk in good humour, over the chattering and general hum of busy restaurants. A wonderful expression of Chardonnay that is for now, for merriment and for everybody. You don’t need hours to absorb its nuance and yet it is still a wine of complexity and detail. Its stretched lines of citrus juice acidity leave you hanging in wait for more. Drink now or will cellar well over another 5 -6 years. Perfect for crumbed prawns or a battered fish sando." - Shanteh Wale (Halliday Wine Companion)

Wine Details
Region
Yarra Valley, Victoria
Vintage
2024
Type
White Wine
Variety
Chardonnay
Volume
750ml
Alcohol Volume
13%
PH
3.06

Acidity
7.9g/L

Closure
ScrewCap
Bottling Date
November 2024

Harvest Date
February 2024

Background
Blended exclusively from our single sites in similar proportions, Circle of Fifths wines are made up of the batches that are not chosen for the Single Vineyard wines from that year. They capture the strengths of our unique sites into one wine, coming together to tell a new story. “Where the Single Vineyard wines are the pure tones of each vineyard, Circle of Fifths is the chord.” -Melanie Chester

Vintage Notes
The 2024 vintage was a more classic Yarra season. A cool start to Spring and ideal flowering conditions led to good fruit set and moderate yields. December was cool and mild, with significant rainfall at New Years and during the first week of January, giving the vines a good drink leading into the heat of February. Mid to late February was drier and warmer than is common in the Yarra, leading to great ripening conditions with no disease pressure and quite a fast vintage. In 2024, all of our Pinot and Chardonnay was ready in quick succession, leading to a compressed harvest - with the whole valley picked in the space of 3 weeks (where it normally spreads across 6 weeks). An exciting ride for our team, but ultimately giving us wines with great flavour, bright acidity and balance.

Vineyard Notes
Tarraford, Sexton, Primavera, Applejack and Bastard Hill Vineyards

Winemaking
At Giant Steps, we hand pick 100% of our fruit and fastidiously hand sort in the vineyard. The grapes are then transported to the winery and put into the cold room overnight to cool down to 4 deg C before pressing the day following. Chardonnay is always whole bunch pressed either directly to barrel or pressed to tank before immediate transfer to barrel with full solids. The wine is wild fermented in French Oak Puncheons, 15% of which is new while the balance is seasoned. We allow the ferments to warm naturally, stirring daily to encourage fermentation and build texture. The level of malolactic fermentation (MLF) is dependent on season. In 2024, 10% of the barrels went through MLF. Post fermentation, we sulphur and then hold the barrels in a reductive environment on full lees with no stirring until blending and bottling in November.