Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022

Giant Steps Wines is a renowned winery that was established in 1997 in the Yarra Valley. The winery has built a reputation for producing expressive wines with purity and finesse. The wines are a direct reflection of their individual vineyard sites, which are located across the Yarra Valley from Tarrawarra to Gladysdale. The founder of Giant Steps Wines, Phil Sexton, is a wine industry pioneer who ventured from Margaret River to Yarra Valley in search of the ideal site to cultivate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of purity and finesse. Phil found his holy grail near Gruyere in the Sexton vineyard, which he planted in 1997 on the steep slopes of the Warramate Ranges. Being a mad jazz fan, Phil named the winery after John Coltrane’s album and fitting metaphor “Giant Steps.” In 2003, Winemaker Steve Flamsteed joined the team, and the two set about producing a range of iconic Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that express a profound sense of place from six finite sites in Yarra Valley. The winery's Head of Winemaking and Viticulture, Melanie Chester, who joined the team in 2021, is committed to honoring the expressions and diversity of its single sites. This means keeping the winemaking tight and transparent so that the diversity of the site is what you taste. “The wines will never look the same because the vineyards continue to change,” she explains, “but we are committed to ensuring that the quality will be the same if not better.” For more than 20 years, Giant Steps has been advancing Australia’s reputation for cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Single vineyard range is sourced from each of the six vineyard sites around the Valley, using the most site-expressive fruit from that year’s vintage. The winery's loyal followers have played a significant role in the success of the winery.

Sexton Vineyard is a unique and highly respected vineyard located in the Yarra Valley, Victoria. Situated on the steep slopes of the Warramate Ranges, alongside the vineyards of iconic Yarra producers Yarra Yering and Coldstream Hills, it is one of the most revered pockets of the Valley. The vineyard is located in Gruyere and has an elevation of 130-210 meters with a north-facing aspect. The vineyard spans across 30 hectares and was planted in 1997, with a soil type of grey clay loam. The Sexton Vineyard is a unique terroir, with a tough, rocky clay base and shallow gravelly loams, resulting in naturally low bunch yields. The topsoil is thin and root systems have established themselves in shallow gravelly loams above a tough, rocky clay base. This environment produces intensely flavored fruit with high skin to juice ratio. The predominant clones used in the vineyard are GinGin and Mendoza, which produce hens and chickens (large and small grapes on the same bunch), resulting in high white tannin and phenolic content to balance the citrus flavors. The unique terroir of the Sexton Vineyard, with its tough, rocky clay base and shallow gravelly loams, results in wines that are highly sought after and respected. The vineyard produces wines that are both complex and delicious, with a balance of acidity and fruit flavors. 

Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 is an exceptional red wine from the Yarra Valley, Victoria. The wine is made from hand-picked Pinot Noir grapes from the 2022 vintage, which was a high quality but low yielding season in the Yarra Valley. The grapes were harvested with lovely concentration and flavor, with great natural acidity and tannin, resulting in a wine that is both elegant and refined. On the nose, the wine has intense aromas of dark cherries, plums, and sweet spice notes. On the palate, the wine is rich and complex, with flavors of dark fruits, earthy undertones and a hint of minerality. The Pinot Noir grapes were sourced from the Sexton Vineyard, located in Gruyere, with an elevation of 130-210 meters and north-facing slopes. The grey clay loam soil type of the vineyard adds to the complexity of the wine, resulting in a wine that is both elegant and refined. The wine was 100% destemmed, soaked cold for five days, then allowed to warm gently into a wild ferment. All parcels were matured in French oak, 25% new and 75% older, Taransaud, Vicard and Dargaud & Jaeglé. The wine was racked to blend, with no fining and no filtration. The wine is single-vineyard, showcasing the unique terroir of the Sexton Vineyard.

From the Sexton vineyard in Gruyere. Destemmed with whole berries and matured nine months in French barriques (20% new). A deep ruby crimson. The densest and most brooding of the Giant Steps Yarra Valley single-vineyard pinots from 2022. You'll find bramble berries, freshly ploughed earth and a little black pepper. Savoury and concentrated on the palate, there is plenty of meat on the bones with substantial and persistent tannins masked by the sheer weight of plush fruit at this stage. A succulent wine to enjoy now and over the next few years. - 96 points, James Halliday -wine expert, Halliday Wine Companion

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Pinot Noir
Country - Australia
Region - Yarra Valley, Victoria
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13%