Giant Steps Bastard Hill Vineyard Chardonnay 2023

Description

Product Information: This is Giant Steps’ debut release of Bastard Hill Vineyard Chardonnay. A site regarded as one of the great Chardonnay vineyards of Australia, and until now no one had been brave enough to harness its potential. An Aussie Chardonnay that gives premium Burgundy a run for its money. As Halliday writer, Phillip Rich describes, “incisive, pure and chalky on the palate, this concentrated yet light on its feet wine is reminiscent of good Corton-Charlemagne.” The Bastard Hill produces concentrated and rocky wines of purity and focus. Its nose is pristine, with aromas of nashi, pink grapefruit, crushed rock, sea spray. The palate echos this, adding musk and flint characters. Incisive, then eased with a textural creaminess. Stellar. Be among the first to secure this ultra exclusive drop. We are lucky to have it, and with the way it’s drinking… you will be too. For winemaking, it starts completely handpicked and gently whole bunch pressed, juice transferred to barrel by gravity with no settling. Fermentation in 500L French puncheons, some of which went through malolactic fermentation (25%). Maturation for 9 months in used French oak – 25% 2nd use and 75% seasoned, Mercurey, Taransaud and Dargaud & Jaegle. To provide a bit of context to the hype of Bastard Hill, we turn to Wine journalist, Campbell Mattinson for explanation, “the Bastard Hill vineyard, named for obvious reasons, has been left to sleep out there on its steep mountain slopes as the bastard child of the companies formerly known as Hardy’s. As a result this should-be-great vineyard has been left out there in the cold, hidden away, myth-like, talked about but not seen, and rarely tasted, like a giant, an unlikely giant, a sleeping one.” This vineyard tells a story untapped protentional, sitting in the upper reaches of the Yarra Valley, planted in 1986, a vineyard too ahead of its time. Until now this nearly 40 years old vineyard had only shown glimpses of greatness, contributing to Eileen Hardy’s chardonnay in the 90s and top Yarra Burn releases, only glimpses but more than enough to know the ‘Bastard’ would be worth the effort. From GM and Head Winemaker at Giant Steps, Melanie Chest, We have intentionally delayed the release to give the wines the time they deserved to express the purity of the vintage,” Chester notes. I am so happy we made that choice—the wines are singing as we head into their release in August. Thanks for your patience, as I know many of you look forward each year to the new bottles from your favourite vineyards. We are especially excited that this release features our first expressions from Bastard Hill and highlights the stunning 2023 vintage. We hope you love the wines are much as we do.” Maker: Since 1997, Giant Steps has built a reputation based on expressive wines with purity and finesse out of Yarra Valley. These are wines that reflect individual vineyard sites, located across the Yarra Valley from Tarrawarra to Gladysdale. Giant Steps was founded by wine industry pioneer Phil Sexton, who journeyed from Margaret River to Yarra Valley looking for the ideal site to cultivate pure and finessed Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Eventually, Phil found his hallowed ground near Gruyere in the Sexton vineyard, which he planted in 1997 on the steep slopes of the Warramate Ranges. The name comes from John Coltrane’s album “Giant Steps”, which felt like a fitting choice given the steep slopes of the vineyard and Phil’s love of jazz. In 2003, Winemaker Steve Flamsteed came aboard, another muso, 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. Melanie Chester, became Head of Winemaking and Viticulture at Giant Steps in 2021, her long-held admiration for the winery comes with an intrinsic pressure to honour the expressions and diversity of its single sites. Mel, says she is “committed to ensuring that the quality will be the same if not better.” This means keeping the winemaking tight and transparent, so that diversity of site is what you taste. Giant Steps has been advancing Australia’s reputation for cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for the past 20 years, the addition of Mel’s craft and energy will ensure this legacy continues. The proof in the pudding. Giant Steps