Wines By Giant Steps

The Sexton family live in the middle of their eighty acre vineyard on the high north face of the Warramate Ranges in the dress circle of Yarra Valley. The vineyard is introducing organic practises with the express purpose of further distinguishing the site and improving grape and wine quality. In exceptional years, parcels of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot are separately fermented. The best lots are assembled into a multiple trophy winer named Harry's Monster and treated to twenty months in the finest oak.

$3499each

$417DOZEN

EACH

DOZEN

The winemaking at Giant Steps is holistic and closely micro managed, a particular objective is to enhance the natural microflora for the facilitation of indigenous fermentations in the winery. Grapes are hand picked, destemmed and crushed to small open fermenters. A mix of indigenous and cultured yeasts initiate several days of warm ferment, hand plunged until dryness. Fements are well aerated through gravity rack and returns. Half the wine is sealed for an extended maceration, the balance transferred to barrel. Upon completion, skins are treated to a small airbag press, batches are gravity racked to a selection of seasoned and new French oak barriques for maturation. Alcohol 14.0%


Deep crimson colour. A dark, brooding bouquet of black cherries and kalamata, violets and bramble. Full palate, densely layered with rich dark fruits and earthy, gamey complexity over a structure of sleek, polished oak and extensive tannins. Exceptional balance on a long lasting finish.

Currently out of stock

Giant Steps Sexton Merlot 2010

Yarra Valley

A mostly Merlot wine which can be topped up from year to year with portions of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Franc, to enhance the tannins and build complexity.

$3299each

$393DOZEN

EACH

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Great Merlot is made in the vineyard. At its best it is like a fingerprint, inextricably linking the personality and mood of the land. Yarra Valley produces distinctive, elegant, complex Merlot. On the higher, leaner soils of the Sexton property, vine roots explore deep and grapes ripen steadily, naturally checking their vigor. Fruit was sourced from Block 4 & Block 3 of the Sexton vineyard in the Yarra Valley, destemmed and crushed to small open fermenters for a warm, eight day vinification, hand plunged twice daily. The must was treated through an airpress into barrel for completion of malolactic ferments, followed by fifteen months maturation in a balance of new and seasoned French oak. Alcohol 14.0%


Bright scarlet colour. Briary fruit, hints of cocoa, dark chocolate and tar on the bouquet, cardamon and mulberries. Cocoa and sour cherries to the palate, lingering with supple fruit tannins. Ripe and even with excellent mouthfeel.

Currently out of stock

Giant Steps Sexton Pinot Noir 2011

Yarra Valley

The capriciousness of the hard to grow, early ripening Pinot Noir makes it's expression of site all the more sublime. The Yarra Valley's cool, slow ripening aspects, afford Pinot Noir the time to develop it's seductive labyrinth of aromas, showing bright red fruit notes underscored by earthy complexity. Sexton Vineyard is wonderfully intricate, exuding notes of wild blackberry, dried mushroom, mulberry bush and braised plum, cinnamon stick and sour cherry. Sexton's focused and fine tannins are enhanced by a judicious treatment of Burgundy styled oak.

$3699each

$441DOZEN

EACH

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The coolest slopes of Sexton are planted to five Pinot Noir clones which are managed according to biodynamic principles, providing several threads of expression to weave into the final wine. Clones MV6 and 114, 115 and Pommard, 777 and G5V15 are hand picked into 300kg crates and chilled. A tenth of the fruit is worked as whole bunches in small open fermenters, the remainder destemmed, but not crushed and added on top. A five day soak with no cap work is followed by a fortnight of wild indigenous yeast ferment with minimal hand plunging. The wine is racked off gross lees to a selection of new and seasoned exclusively Fench oak for completion of natural malolactic and maturation. Alcohol 12.6%


Bright scarlet purple colour. Lovely rustic charry notes, cinnamon, cloves, dark chocolates and ginger. Poached cherry, olive, cinnamon and treacle, orange peels and vanilla bean. Pretty and supple. An eager, youthful Pinot Noir with engaging complexity and good support from fine French oak and firm tannins. To accompany veal cutlets or suckling pig.

Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2011

Yarra Valley

Available in cartons of six

The Giant Steps team pointedly sourced several conspicuous clones of Chardonnay from California, Burgundy and Champagne, to be established on the coolest, lowest slopes of the superlative Sexton property. The crisp, cool ripening conditions and flinty, almost mean soils of Yarra Valley's temperate slopes yield a quality of Chardonnay in the nectarine, citrus, melon and white peach range.

$3299each

$393DOZEN

EACH

DOZEN

Chardonnay clones Mendoza, 277, 96, 76, 78, 95 and P58 are ripened to physiological balance. Optimal levels of pH auger well for structured, age worthy wines without any acid additions. Grapes are whole bunch pressed to tank, transferred to barrel after eight hours settling and vinified mostly through the activity of indigenous yeasts. Batches are lees stirred weekly, then monthly as fermentations progress. A components is allowed to complete natural malolactic. Matured eleven months in a combination of new and prior use exclusively French oak barriques by coopers Sirigue, D & J, Taransaud Beane and Mercurey, the wines are gravity racked to tank and cold stabilized with a light fining.


Pale gold colour. Fresh cream, white peacharines, river stones, spearmint, curry leaf and muesli bouquet. Lush with beautiful chalkiness. Great approach, crisp and punchy acidity. Granny Smith skins, green mango, arrowroot biscuits. A very good balance of fruit within a rich, complex wine of great linearity and driving length, which drinks brilliantly on release.

Innocent Bystander Chardonnay 2011

Yarra Valley + Port Phillip

An engaging Chardonnay by a team of winemakers and viticulturalists who eschew the bland direction and market dominance increasingly exerted by the corporate players. In a nutshell, they see themselves as innocent bystanders. An assemblage of Yarra valley harvests from the Primavera, Shaws Road and Tarraford sites, assembled around a core of splendid fruit from the peerless Sexton Vineyard.

$1799each

$213DOZEN

EACH

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Yarra Valley has been producing distinctive and elegant Charadonnay wines since early settlement. On the higher, leaner soils of Sexton, vine roots explore deep and grapes ripen steadily, naturally checking their vigour. A close husbanding and intensive maintenance is essential to yield the most intensely flavoured grapes. Fruit is all hand picked, chilled and transferred to barrel. Indigenous yeasts and small amounts of cultured yeasts initiate ferments. Barrels are lees stirred weekly, then monthly as vinification progresses. A small component completes wild malolactic due to higher than usual malic acid levels. Components are matured in a mix of mostly prior use French oak barriques and 500L puncheons. Alcohol 12.5%

Bright, light straw colour. Nose displaying lemon zest and cashew, freshly picked white nectarines and river stones. Granny smith apples and green pineapples to the palate, bright crunchy acidity with a hint of savoury chicken stock. Oily lemon pith, lime zests and biscuit, before a lingering finish of grapefruits and mineral. To accompany sunday chicken with stuffing and preserved lemon, Moreton Bay bugs or freshly rolled pasta with basil pesto.

Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato 2011 375ml

Swan Hill

Great things come in small packages. At only 375ml, tiny little Pink Moscato has become a great big phenomenon. Why? It's the very definition of fun. A true Moscato fashioned from Muscat grapes, light in alcohol, fantastically fizzed, brimming with berries and summer fruits, rose petal and turkish delights.

$1199each

$141DOZEN

EACH

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Giant Steps seek to make wine that is less overt and obvious than most. The aim is to acquire the best fruit possible, whatever the cost, because without great fruit there can be no great wine. All work is done by hand. Grapes are only picked when optimum flavour ripeness is matched by good natural acidity. Fruit is harvested at night, chilled and crushed, followed by eight hours skin contact to arrive at the gorgeous blushing pink colour. Parcels are pressed to tank and filtered bright before inoculation. Juices are fermented long and cold until full natural carbonation is reached and the balance between sugar and alcohol is achieved. The final wine is cold filtered at -1°C to retain freshness and effervescence. Alcohol 5.5%


Pretty in pink with a slight petulance. Turkish delight, fruit tingle, sherbet, fairy floss, fresh fuzzy peach. Raspberry jelly, peach sherbet, rosewater. Clean and crisp. To accompany fresh pancakes and poached fruit, a cheese plate with muscadel raisins, or just on it's own as an elegant apertif.

Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato 2013

Swan Hill

A lively cépage of Black and Gordo Muscat grown to the Boulton and Duffy, Burge, Wall and Pratt Vineyards at Swan Hill. A scrumptuous wine with an exotic mix of watermelon, musk and rose petal flavours, red apple, hubba bubba and pink ice cream. It's low in alcohol but a single bottle is unlikely to be enough because with a drink this good, there's no excuse for not sharing.

$1699each

$201DOZEN

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Black Muscat grapes are picked later than parcels of Gordo Muscat to allow for colour development. All fruit is harvested at night to lower beames than normal, as flavour ripeness is achieved at lower sugar levels. Grapes are chilled and crushed then given six hours skin contact to extract a hint of pink from the Black Muscat. Fruit is then pressed into fermenters and the juices treated to a long and cold vinification until full natural carbonation is reached and the optimum balance between sugar and alcohol was achieved. The finished wine is cold filtered and chill bottled at 0°C to retain freshness and effervescence, before sealing under crown cap to retain effervescence. Alcohol 5.5%


Lipstick colour with salmon hue, a slight frizzante and delicate bead. Fruit tingle and sherbet, fairy floss and fresh fuzzy peach nose. Sticky, a real turkish delight, raspberry jelly, peach sherbet and rosewater palate, clean and crisp, makes the most wonderful apertif. Match with fresh pancakes and poached fruit or cheeses and muscadel.

Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris 2011

Yarra Valley

Great Pinot Gris can only come from fine vineyards. There are two distinctive styles in Australia, zippy and vibrant with lemon freshness and crisp acidity or the richer, textural and full bodied type. Both share an attractive mineral element that adds complexity. A new wave and the next big thing? Been around forever actually. For all you anything but chardonnay drinkers, here's a generously flavoured white, derived from red coloured grapes, crisp and refined, born and bred for food, goes great with charcouterie, fresh seafoods or highly spiced cuisine.

$1799each

$213DOZEN

EACH

DOZEN

At its best, Pinot Gris it is like a fingerprint, inextricably linking the personality and mood of the land from which it has sprung. Innocent Bystander comes from the upper Yarra, where cool summer temperatures lead to fresh crunchy acidity and great aromatics. Due to the higher altitude of sites, fruit is harvested later in the season. Grapes are hand picked and whole bunch pressed. A mixture of indigenous and cultured yeasts are employed to increase layers of complexity. Barrels and tanks are lees stirred regularly all the way up until assemblage, cold stabilisation and a light fining in tank. Matured in a combination of tank and French oak to derive complexity while retaining fruit. Alcohol 12.5%

Medium straw colour. Honeysuckle, preserved ginger and cardamon. Pithy lemons and grapefruit skin. Freshly cut white pears and a hint of white joobs. Like fresh rain on beach rocks. Crisp like biting into a fresh green apple. Tight with a melting acidity that lingers like cottage lemonade. A really lively palate with a solid flick of crisp citrus. Food friendly, versatile and accessible, it will become your best table mate, sublime with sashimi, goat's curd bruchetta and everything Al fresco.

Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir 2011

Yarra Valley

For those who like their Pinot Noir to be long, lean and savoury, with fruit to wax lyrical about. An assemblage from Port Phillip and Yarra Valley, the uncrushed grapes are wild yeast fermented and treated to a light carbonic maceration in the manner of a Beaujolais, achieving a vigorously fruit driven Pinot Noir with crisp acids and stirring aromas.

$1899each

$225DOZEN

EACH

DOZEN

Innocent Bystander seek Pinot Noir grapes with perfect ripeness and sugar balance. Vineyards are selected for their high diurnal temperature range, to achieve wines with high natural acidity and low pH. All grapes are hand picked and destemmed, uncrushed into open top fermenters. A three to seven day cold soak at eight degrees is followed by inoculation to mainly indigenous yeast strains. Variations of pigeage and remontage are applied. A small volume is run off at 2˚ baume for partial barrel ferments. The finished wine is treated to a term in a mix of fermenters and French oak barriques to enhance complexity while retaining vitality. Alcohol 13.0%

Medium purple in colour. Nose of dark cocoa and poached cherry, hints of truffle oil and tobacco leaves, wet earth and berries of the forest. Ripe cherry and mixed fruit compotes, bramble with a hint of tar and seasoned grilled meats. A round fresh palate showing rhubarb and radicchio over the twang of chalky tannins before a slippery, rich and slightly tart finish. Enjoy with Chinese duck, tapas, dark olives or fetta.

Innocent Bystander Syrah 2011

Yarra Valley

Available by the case dozen only

Very much in the style of a Rhône Syrah, aromatic, elegantly structured and relaxed, showing white pepper and violets, blueberries and cherry over fine tannins. Just a dash of Viognier provides ethereal, almost ungraspable aromas, teasing notes of honeysuckle and turkish delight. Closely aligned to the cool peppery efforts of the northern Rhone, fruit is hand picked from choice vineyards in the Pyrenees and Yarra Valley and treated to a course of old world style whole berry ferments. Very gentle, very loved, just like the affable fellow it becomes.

$1799each

$213DOZEN

EACH

DOZEN

The team at Innocent Bystander work with like minded growers to assemble the finest fruit. Components from great Victorian vineyards are determined each year to create a consistent style from one vintage to the next. Grapes are destemmed into small open fermentors, a deliberately small portion is incorporated as whole bunches. Treated to a cold maceration before a mainly wild vinification, ferments are plunged and drained regularly, while some experience a post ferment maceration to soften tannins. The wine is pressed gently to tank, settled and gravity drained to a selection of exclusively French oak barriques and puncheons for malolactic and an extended maturation.

Bright garnet red hue. A nose of five spice, campari, orange zest and juniper. Cherry ripe, red summer berries, dark chocolates and cocoa. Firm bright tannins with a brooding texture. Wild blackberries and raspberry, a long savoury finish. Yarra fruit delivers spice and backbone while the Pyrenees brings plum and chocolate characters. The Innocent Bystander wants food! Due to the spice of Syrah it's a great foil for a wide range of cuisine, enjoy with baked red peppers, wild rice and mushroom.

The Giant Steps winemakers are directing their winemaking towards single vineyards in locations that can support varietals of distinction

Great wine is made in the vineyard. At its best it is like a fingerprint, inextricably linking the personality and mood of the land from which it has sprung.

The Giant Steps vineyard is on 115 acres of rocky gravel over clay, 50 km east of Melbourne, on the north facing slopes of the Warramate ranges overlooking the Yarra Valley. The vineyard covers two ridges that rise from 400 to 1100 feet above the valley floor.


Giant Steps seek to grow fruit and ultimately make wine that is less overt and obvious than is encouraged in Australia. The winemakers look for structure and length rather than breadth; finesse rather than largesse and above all, fruit rather than artefact. All work is by hand. Giant Steps strive to grow the best fruit possible. Whatever the cost. Because without great fruit there can be no great wine Giant Steps is owned and operated by a small team - Phil, Allison and Harry Sexton. The story starts 2600 km and 23 years ago when Phil established the Devils Lair vineyard in Margaret River. He was joined there in 1990 by Allison, an American biochemist. 1995 proved an excellent year; son Harry was born. In life, not many people get the chance to do something again; differently, with the benefit of hindsight. While they loved the wines they were producing, they dreamed of creating a small, specialised cool climate vineyard together, as a family. From scratch.
"It would have to be intimate, personal, honest and fun, with only a small committed team. As Phil joked, "this time no more than we could fit around the kitchen table" And, in 1997 they took the giant step; sold Devils Lair and crossed Australia to a dream site on the slopes of Victoria's Yarra Valley, alongside several benchmark cool climate vineyards that they had long admired. After an immense amount of work and many years they have turned a horse stud into a vineyard. The winemakers wanted hands on and they got it. The Sexton family winemakers are quietly confident that the Yarra Valley can produce Bordeaux varietals with savoury structure, finesse, clarity and textbook fruit purity; without the cedary, geranium/capsicum characters we so often see in this country out of cooler or fast ripening regions.

WARNING Under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 it is an offence to supply alcohol to a person under the age of 18 years. The penalty exceeds $6,000
It is an offence for a person under the age of 18 years to purchase or receive liquor. The penalty exceeds $500. Victoria Licence 31952713

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