Giant Steps 2025 Single Vineyard Collection

Founded in the Yarra Valley in 1997 by Phil Sexton, Giant Steps began with a very clear ambition: to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of purity, finesse and genuine vineyard expression. After moving from Margaret River in search of the right cool-climate site, Sexton established the Sexton Vineyard at Gruyere, planting vines on the steep slopes of the Warramate Ranges. A passionate jazz fan, he named the estate after John Coltrane's landmark album Giant Steps; an appropriate name for a producer that would become one of the important names in modern Australian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Steve Flamsteed joined as winemaker in 2003, beginning a period in which Giant Steps increasingly focused on the differences between individual vineyards scattered throughout the Yarra Valley. Today the estate's philosophy is centred firmly on site. Rather than trying to make each wine conform to a house style, the Single Vineyard wines are selected from the most expressive fruit from individual sites, allowing differences in altitude, aspect, soil, clone and mesoclimate to shape each wine. The fruit is handled at the estate's gravity-flow winery with minimal intervention, with the aim of preserving those individual vineyard characteristics.

Since 2021, Melanie Chester has led both winemaking and viticulture, continuing that focus while bringing an increasingly precise and transparent approach to the wines. Under Chester, Giant Steps has reached another level of recognition: it was named 2025 Halliday Wine Companion Winery of the Year, while the 2023 Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir was named Halliday's Pinot Noir of the Year. The estate now stands as one of Australia's most important references for cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The 2025 vintage was warm and dry, with good soil-moisture reserves and very low disease pressure. Harvest began earlier than average and was relatively compressed, but healthy vines allowed fruit to be picked in excellent condition. Giant Steps describes the resulting wines as having vibrant acidity, balance and depth, with the freshness and structure required for ageing. All fruit is hand-picked and carefully sorted; Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed and naturally fermented in French oak, while Pinot Noir parcels are handled individually, ranging from destemmed whole-berry fermentation to semi-carbonic fermentation with 100% whole bunch depending on site, clone and stem maturity.

The Yarra Valley Single Vineyards

Sexton Vineyard in Gruyere
The original Giant Steps vineyard, planted in 1997 on the steep, north-facing slopes of the Warramate Ranges at 130–210 metres. Thin gravelly loams over rocky clay naturally restrict yields, producing intensely flavoured Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with concentration, structure and depth; its Chardonnay plantings include the highly distinctive GinGin and Mendoza clones.

Applejack Vineyard in Gladysdale
Planted by renowned viticulturist Ray Guerin in 1997, Applejack sits dramatically on an east-facing Upper Yarra slope between 180 and 260 metres. Its higher altitude and volcanic-influenced geology create a cooler, longer growing season, typically three to four weeks later than the central Yarra, producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay characterised by finesse, spice, firmness and exceptional length. 

Primavera Vineyard in Woori Yallock
An elevated 240-metre site planted by Lou Primavera in 2001 on red clay loam, with contrasting north and north-east-facing slopes. The Pinot Noir combines MV6 and G-clone, and the site is particularly known for producing beautifully fragrant, floral and finely detailed expressions of the variety.

Tarraford Vineyard in Tarrawarra
An 8.5-hectare vineyard planted in 1998 within a protected valley that creates a cooler microclimate than many neighbouring sites. Its Chardonnay is planted on a south-facing slope that retains naturally high acidity and low pH, giving Tarraford its characteristic length, tight structure and vibrant citrus-driven freshness.

Bastard Hill Vineyard in Gladysdale
One of the most exciting additions to Giant Steps, this dramatic Upper Yarra vineyard rises to around 380 metres and takes its name from its notoriously steep slopes. Planted by Ray Guerin in 1986 on red, iron-rich volcanic loam, Bastard Hill has long been regarded as an exceptional Chardonnay site, it historically supplied fruit for Eileen Hardy Chardonnay; and Giant Steps began producing its own Single Vineyard wines from the property in 2023.