Giant Steps Yarra Valley Rose 2023

Product Information: All the perfume and beauty of Provence are reflected in this delightful Rosé, made from early-picked Yarra Valley Pinot Noir and Syrah sourced from the Sexton and Tarraford vineyards. Gently pressed and carefully crafted, the result is a Rosé that is deliciously refreshing—perfect for drinking now. Why wait? Hand-picked and whole bunch pressed, only the fresh free-run juice was used. The clear juice was then racked to a stainless-steel tank for a long, cool fermentation before being matured on ferment lees until bottling in July. Giant Steps’ GM and Head Winemaker, Melanie Chester, shares, “We intentionally delayed the release to give the wines the time they deserved to express the purity of the vintage. I’m 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 to these bottles each year. This release is particularly exciting, as it features our first expressions from Bastard Hill and highlights the stunning 2023 vintage. We hope you love the wines as much as we do.” The team at Giant Steps is elated after being named Winery of the Year and seeing their 2023 Applejack Pinot Noir win Best Pinot Noir at the 2025 Halliday Companion Awards. “It’s really wonderful to see the dedication and hard work of our entire Giant Steps team acknowledged in such a profound way,” says Chester. The winery remains committed to producing pure, finessed wines that tell the stories of their incredible vineyard sites—some of the most exciting in the country. Maker: Since its founding in 1997, Giant Steps has built a strong reputation for producing expressive wines that showcase purity and finesse, all from the Yarra Valley. The winery’s philosophy revolves around capturing the essence of individual vineyard sites scattered across the region, from Tarrawarra to Gladysdale. Founded by wine industry pioneer Phil Sexton, who travelled from Margaret River to the Yarra Valley in search of the perfect location for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Giant Steps has become one of Australia’s leading producers of cool-climate wines. Sexton found his ideal site near Gruyere at the steeply sloped Sexton vineyard, which he planted in 1997. The winery’s name, inspired by John Coltrane’s iconic album “Giant Steps,” reflects the challenging topography of the vineyard and Sexton’s love of jazz. In 2003, winemaker Steve Flamsteed, a fellow jazz enthusiast, joined the team, and together they developed a range of iconic Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that express the character of six distinct vineyard sites across the Yarra Valley. In 2021, Melanie Chester took on the role of Head of Winemaking and Viticulture at Giant Steps. Her long-standing admiration for the winery comes with the responsibility of honouring the diversity and unique expressions of each vineyard site. Chester is committed to ensuring the quality of the wines remains exceptional, if not better. By keeping the winemaking process tight and transparent, she allows the vineyards to speak through the wines. Giant Steps has been at the forefront of Australia’s reputation for cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for over two decades, and under Chester’s guidance, this legacy is set to continue. Vineyard: 2023 was a small, high-quality vintage in the Yarra Valley. The season was defined by a cool Spring, a mild growing season, cool nights, and medium to high rainfall. 2023 was one of the coolest and latest harvests on record, with their first pick starting two and a half weeks later than the previous average. The grapes in 2023 had lovely fruit concentration with bright natural acidities. Located on the steep slopes of the Warramate Ranges (Gruyere), the Sexton Vineyard sits between 130 – 210 metres, and is one of the most revered pockets of the Valley. Being well up the Range’s north-facing slopes, topsoil is thin and root systems have established themselves in shallow gravelly loams above a tough, rocky clay base. Bunch yields set naturally low in this environment, resulting in intensely flavoured fruit with high skin to juice ratio. The clonal selection of Pinot Noir off this site includes the G5V15 clone, which responds well to the warmer conditions and sunlight exposure to produce juicy and plush wines. The Pinot Noir produced from Sexton have a lovely texture, with dark cherries and