Giant Steps 2025 Single Vineyard Release

#wine #winetasting #drink #cocktail

Welcome back to Wine Unfiltered! 🍷

Today we're joined by Giant Steps winemaker Mel Chester, fresh off judging at the Royal Sydney Wine Show (celebrating its 200th anniversary this year - Mel asked us to correct that and I forgot!!) for our now-annual tradition: a first look at the new single vineyard release from one of the Yarra Valley's most iconic producers.

The 2025s mark a big moment for Giant Steps — the first vintage fully in their newly renovated home winery, picked in a wild, compact three-week window after an early, warm season. Mel walks us through what that meant on the ground (five picking crews going at once!) and why a hot vintage doesn't always mean what you'd expect at altitude.

We taste our way across the five single vineyard sites — Tarraford, Sexton, Bastard Hill, Primavera and Applejack — talking through the history behind each one (including Phil Sexton's origin story and Bastard Hill's Yarra Burn sparkling wine past), the wildly different personalities warmer vs. cooler sites give you, and where Mel thinks the identity of Australian Chardonnay is heading on the world stage. Plus a nerdy chat about reduction, oak, and just generallywhat's happening in Giant Steps world at the moment.