{"product_id":"2025-giant-steps-sexton-vineyard-chardonnay","title":"2025 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay","description":"\u003cp\u003ePlanted by Phil Sexton in 1997 on steep north-facing slopes in Gruyere, Sexton is always the most open and confident of the Giant Steps single vineyard Chardonnays, with some extra pizzaz and x-factor in 2025!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's lower in altitude relative to Bastard Hill and Applejack, north-facing and exposed, with thin topsoil over shallow gravelly loams on a rocky clay base. Low yields, high skin to juice ratio. The Gingin and Mendoza clones produce characterful \"hen and chicken\" bunches, large and small berries together on the same bunch, which brings a textural, white tannin quality that's unique to this site.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHandpicked and whole-bunch pressed, the juice transferred to barrel by gravity with full lees and no settling. Wild fermented across 500L French puncheons and a new 1200L Mercurey foudre in 2025 (affectionately nicknamed \"fleur\" by the team), with a small amount of batonnage post fermentation and 15% malo. Nine months in French oak, 31% new. The foudre adds a different dimension of oxygen and texture that you can feel in the wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStone fruit, candied ginger, yuzu, grapefruit and roasted hazelnut on the nose, then mineral, white peach, lemonade and nougat through a beautifully concentrated palate. The finish is long, pithy and mouth-watering. It's immediately impressive and generously expressed as always, but 2025 has a little more under the hood and will develop beautifully. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e95 points\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It’s immediately impressive, beautifully well sustained, complex in a hand-in-glove way. Cellar this; it needs a year or three. It will be great.\"\u003cbr\u003e- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e97 points\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Expressive with aromas of stone fruits, candied ginger, grapefruit and roasted hazelnut. Just as good on the beautifully concentrated mid-palate, finishing with mouth-watering acidity on the very long, pithy finish.\"\u003cbr\u003e- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8wWTC6WSVAc?si=yyz7E0kVzk2LS-K4\" title=\"YouTube video player\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2572\/9722\/files\/GiantstepsVineyardmap_PNG_1024x1024_3bc85611-5d0c-482e-8555-12f6a95f35c9.jpg?v=1754281827\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Giant Steps","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44894383800363,"sku":"2025 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay","price":95.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2572\/9722\/files\/2020GiantStepsSextonVineyardChardonnay_700x_700x_8f66eebd-4fb6-4ecd-8b54-ca9395c864ab.png?v=1787288617","url":"https:\/\/www.differentdrop.com\/products\/2025-giant-steps-sexton-vineyard-chardonnay","provider":"Different Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}