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Giant Steps 'Applejack Vineyard' Chardonnay 2025

  • Halliday's Wine Companion
    96 Points
  • Campbell Mattinson
    96 Points
Giant Steps 'Applejack Vineyard' Chardonnay 2025
  • Halliday's Wine Companion
    96 Points
  • Campbell Mattinson
    96 Points
Giant Steps 'Applejack Vineyard' Chardonnay 2025
Write a Review
Giant Steps

Giant Steps 'Applejack Vineyard' Chardonnay 2025

SKU: GSCH202512 UCAU
Biodynamic
Ready, but will Keep
$94.99 / bottle
Available to Order
1 bottle
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.
Other products from this producer

From The James Halliday Winery of the Year

96+ Points Halliday Wine Companion, " Finishes long and precise"

The wine has a pale straw colour with green tints, the nose is elegant and complex, with aromas of white peach, nectarine, honeysuckle, and a hint of spice while the palate is rich and flavourful, with a refreshing acidity and a long, lingering finish.

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Giant Steps 'Applejack Vineyard' Chardonnay 2025

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Tasting Notes

The Applejack Vineyard, named after the Applejack eucalypts that surround the vineyard, is located at Gladysdale in the upper Yarra Valley. It was planted in 1997 by respected viticulturist Ray Guerin and is meticulously managed by his son Mark. This vineyard was purchased by Phil Sexton  in 2013. Located at an elevation of 320 metres, the higher altitude results in a cooler and extended growing season (3-4 weeks later than central Yarra valley) and is ideally suited to growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Applejack Vineyard is located on a dramatic, north-east-facing slope with close-planted vines.

"100% hand picked and whole bunch pressed. The juice was then transferred directly to barrel by gravity with no settling, taking full gross lees. Wild fermented in 500L French oak puncheons. No bâtonnage. Maturation for 10 months in new and used French oak puncheons – 15% new, 85% older, Mercurey, Taransaud and Dargaud & Jaeglé." 

red

White

2024

2025

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Chardonnay

Wirra_Wirra

Giant Steps

McLaren_Vale_South_Australia_Australia

Yarra Valley

750ml_Bottle

750ml (Bottle)

10-15_Years

Ready, but will Keep

14

13.0%

icon-cork_7fa41e8a-1ddb-4194-95e8-f8169a35c5dd

Stelvin

Critic Scores

96Halliday's Wine Companion

Philip Rich, Published 29 June 2025
Applejack vineyard was planted at Gladysdale by Ray Guerin in '97, and only 2ha of its 11ha are planted to chardonnay. Fermented and matured in neutral puncheons. While this is a little richer than the '24, all the hallmarks of this vineyard are still here. Light stone fruits, lemon, white flowers and a little flint. The palate is equally restrained, with a lovely fine vein of acidity that runs through the wine. Finishes long and precise. An Applejack that can be enjoyed now and over the next five to seven years.

96Campbell Mattinson

I am fully on-board with this release of Applejack Chardonnay. It’s a beauty. Pure, long, showing a little more flint than usual, all line and length in general but with a bit of extra punch and flare on top. This is tight and taut and tense and all those things, but wow does it extend and wow does it thrill. We’re in chardonnay for chardonnay lovers territory. White peach, cedar, lactose, a touch of lemonade; the sum is far more than the parts. Fantastic wine. Compelling. Intense. On a mission.

Vinification & Cultivation

Crafted only for our premium wines

Vineyard Cultivation

Giant Steps was established in 1997 by Phil Sexton in Yarra Valley, one of Australia's premier cool-climate regions. The Applejack Vineyard represents one of the winery's core single-vineyard sites, selected for its ability to express the elegance and complexity demanded by the producer's philosophy. Yarra Valley's maritime-influenced climate and alluvial soils provide ideal conditions for Chardonnay cultivation. The 2024 vintage benefited from temperate growing conditions and optimal ripening windows typical of the Valley's cooler microclimate, which favours the development of crisp acidity and refined stone-fruit characteristics essential to Giant Steps' house style.

Vinification

Fruit was hand-selected and carefully pressed to capture the Applejack vineyard's singular character. Fermentation occurred in temperature-controlled conditions, with a proportion undertaken in French oak to build textural complexity without overwhelming the wine's natural acidity. The resulting wine was matured on lees, allowing gradual development of secondary flavours whilst maintaining freshness. Bottling occurred after careful assessment of wine development, releasing a Chardonnay marked by purity and site-specific expressiveness.

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