2025 Giant Steps Chardonnay, Yarra Valley

An even split of Upper and lower Yarra fruit; both estate grown and from growers. 20% new oak. Brightly coloured. An immediate and attractive bouquet of white nectarine, lemon verbena, a little flint and salted almonds. Brightly fruited, with vibrant acidity that gives the wine freshness and energy. Drink now and over the next three to four years.

95 points Special Value Philip Rich for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2026 

More about this wine

This wine hails from the warm and dry 2025 season and is a regional Yarra Valley blend of estate and contract grown fruit.

Fruit for Giant Steps Chardonnay wines are handpicked and sorted in the vineyard. The grapes are chilled overnight to cool down to four degrees and whole bunch pressed either directly to barrels, or to stainless steel before immediate transfer to barrels with full solids, with 19% of the barrels new for each vintage. The ferments start with indigenous yeasts, and are allowed to warm naturally, with daily stirring building texture and creaminess. 10% of the barrels were allowed malolactic fermentation in 2025. The wine was sulphured post-fermentation and held in barrels on full lees with no stirring until blending and bottling in November.

About Giant Steps

Giant Steps was named after John Coltrane's groundbreaking jazz album, and the Circle of Fifths continues that thread. The name taken from the music theory tool that helps musicians understand how scales and chords relate to build harmony. In winemaker Melanie Chester's own words: the single vineyards are the pure tones, while this is the chord.