Country: Australia  Region: Victoria  Vintage: 2021 Category: White Wine  Color: White  Varietal: Chardonnay Producer: Giant Steps "Giant Steps is a privately owned Yarra Valley producer that has forged a reputation for making some of the Yarra Valley's most consistently exciting wines from estate-owned vineyards. The Giant Steps Single Vineyard wines are produced from their best vineyards in great years. Head winemaker Steve Flamsteed and his team aim is to express in each wine the character of the site, grape and vintage, and this they achieve by meticulous work in the vineyard and minimum intervention in the winery. YARRA VALLEYProducing a range of Giant Steps wines using fruit blended from across the estate has been many years in discussion. These wines were born from a desire to produce a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah of Giant Steps quality which are expressive of the regional characteristics of the Yarra Valley, rather than a single site. It also provides for Steve an outlet for wine from younger vines, or for barrels that don't quite match the exacting standards set for the single vineyard wines. These wines are made from hand-picked fruit from estate vineyards, and are produced using indigenous yeasts, gravity-flow winemaking and minimal fining and filtration. The approach is working, for the debut Chardonnay from 2015 won a Gold medal at the 2016 Sommelier Wine Awards." Winemaker: Steve Flamsteed & Julian Grounds Vineyards: Producing a range of Giant Steps wines using fruit blended from across the estate vineyards has been many years in discussion. These wines were born from a desire to produce a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of Giant Steps quality, which are expressive of the regional characteristics of the Yarra Valley rather than a single site. Fruit for this wine is sourced from the Sexton, Tarraford, Applejack and Jobling estate vineyards. Vinification: Wines from the Yarra Valley range are produced using indigenous yeasts, gravity-flow winemaking and minimal fining and filtration. All the fruit is 100% hand-picked and fermented in 500 litre French oak puncheons, of which 20% are new and 80% older oak. No malolactic fermentation takes place. Lees stirring is carried out for around two months. The wine is then aged for 11 months in 20% new and 80% used French puncheons. Tasting Notes: An elegant, refined and delicate Chardonnay that is also surprisingly voluptuous. The nose shows classic Yarra characters of lemon sorbet, white peach and nectarine underpinned with notes of marzipan and hazelnut. Crisp acidity on the back palate ensures a refreshing, clean finish. Closure: Stelvin  ABV:13.5%  Acidity [g/l]: 7.95