I seem to be on a bit of Yarra roll at the moment, there must be something in the water down there as the wineries just keep knocking out great wine after great wine.
Giant Steps is one of those wineries that’s always reliable, and always knocking out award winning wines. Whether it be in any of the three brands, Giant Steps, Innocent Bystander or Mea Culpa. And that’s in no small part to hard work and effort put in by the owner and founder of Giant Steps, Phil Sexton and his winemaker Steve Flamsteed.
Both of these guys have had long interesting careers, but have always gravitated back towards wine.
Phil Sexton started off his working life as a brewer at Swan Brewery in WA in 1981. That same year he started work on what would become his first winery, Devils Lair in WA’s Margaret River. Eventually Phil left Swan to concentrate on Devils Lair fulltime but the lure of good beer was too much, together with two mates he started Matilda Bay. It was the brand that really started the craft beer scene here, Australian drinkers had never seen anything like the original Redback wheat beer or the Dogbolter dark lager. But the trio had troubles getting the pubs to put their beers on, so they purchased an old hotel, renovated it and renamed it the Sail and Anchor. The pub become synonymous with great beers. In 1997 with both Devils Lair and Matilda Bay sold off, Phil managed to lay his hands on some land beside Yarra Yering (another great Yarra winery) and the process of creating Giant Steps started. He chose the Yarra region because it gave him the opportunity to make restrained Chard’s, cool climate Cabernet/Merlot blends and Pinot Noir. In 2000, while the vineyards were growing and planting being undertaken Phil found time to start another great brewing company, Little Creatures, with the original owners of Matilda Bay, which they sold to Lion Nathan in 2012.The first vintage of Giant Steps rolled out in 2001, and Innocent Bystander came on the scene in 2004. With Innocent Bystander becoming so popular it was almost in danger of strangling of the Giant Steps wines. Until earlier this year when Phil decided to sell off the Innocent Bystander range to Brown Brothers allowing him to concentrate purely on Giant Steps, unless another brewery is on the cards…..
Steve Flamsteed is the man that holds the role as Head Winemaker. But he’s taken the long way round to get there. He’s worked as a qualified chef, won a Queens Scholarship to study cheese making in France, then working as a cheesemaker on his return. He’s also been a ski instructor and most importantly, a winemaker. As a winemaker he has worked for Leeuwin Estate and the Hardy Wine Company, before moving to Giant Steps operation. He has also made wines in the Alsace and Brouilly regions of France, as a Flying Winemaker, a winemaker who travels the world to ply their trade.
These two guys literally have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to sheer talent. With Phil leading the winery’s direction and Steve knocking out wines which can be enjoyed either as a cork-dork or as a quaffer.
That’s something that all winemakers try to achieve, but very rarely does it happen.
Their new Yarra Valley range:
Giant Steps Yarra Valley Syrah 2015 – a great example of what can be achieved with Yarra Shiraz, grown on the Sexton and Tarraford vineyards. It’s a big flavourful wine, dried herbs, dark cherry and plum, black pepper, very light notes of eucalypt and clove. This is a pretty classy wine. RRP $35.
Giant Steps Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2015 – Yarra chardy generally have one of the longest finishes on your tongue that you will find in Australian wines, and this is no exception. Citrus zest, some grapefruit and peach and green apple, with just the lightest touches of toasty-nutty oak, it’s been handled extremely well. Could benefit from a few years cellaring, but it’s another great drop from the team. RRP $35
Giant Steps Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2015 – I’m a sucker for a good Pinot, and at this price point I would be expecting a lot, but I got much more than expected. Dry herbs, with dark red and purple fruits, those really dark cherry notes, and some brambly/spice notes. It’s spicy and firm, with a succulent, tangy powerful finish. RRP $35
