Giant Steps

When the saxophonist John Coltrane split with Miles Davis in the late 50s, he wasted little time releasing his visionary Giant Steps album. Owner Phil Sexton is a jazz fan and was inspired by the album and Coltrane's foresight. When he sold his Devil's Lair vineyard in Margaret River to relocate and replant in the Yarra Valley, he named his wine in Coltrane's honour.

Giant Steps is a privately owned, estate based, Yarra Valley grower and winemaker. Giant Steps has forged a reputation for delivering some of Australia’s most consistent, over-performing, varietal wines. These wines have received global acclaim and established a strong reputation in restaurants and fine wine stores around the world.

Since 2003 Giant Steps wines have collectively been awarded 19 trophies and over 50 gold medals at major international and domestic wine shows, and has been named one of the Top 100 Wineries in the World by Wine & Spirits Magazine, US for each of the last four years.

The estate produces wine on 6 vineyards – Nocton, Wombat Creek, Tarraford, Gruyere Farm, Applejack and Sexton Vineyard

Nocton Vineyard

We are obsessed with single vineyard Pinot Noir and that curiosity has taken us to relationships in the other most exciting new world options.

Nocton Vineyard, in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley, was planted in 1999 on gentle, North-East facing slopes of dolerite-based soils over a free-draining calcareous and Triassic sandstone subsoil.  

Tasmania has a cool maritime climate and, positioned as it’s right in the path of the “roaring forties,” can offer up annual rainfalls that are measured in metres on the west of the island.  However, contrary to popular myth (and the recent extreme events,) much of the eastern half of Tasmania has relatively moderate rainfall, especially in the South-East.

The Coal River Valley itself lies in a rain-shadow created by the Mount Wellington Range to the west. Here the rainfall pattern is often ideal, allowing for uninterrupted spring flowering and fruit set. At the other end of the season, the long, warm and dry autumn ripening days develop good colours and flavours while the cool nights help to retain Tasmania’s trademark acidity.

The vineyard is close-planted at only 1m between vines and 1.8m between rows, encouraging the vines to drive their roots more deeply into the soil in order to compete for water and nutrients.

Higher up and to the north, where the slope is a little steeper and the soils a little meaner, the pinot vines are of a type that yields small but perfectly formed bunches of intensely flavoured and beautifully structured grapes. 

Location: Coal River Valley
Aspect: North-East facing
Size: 84 acres
Planted: 1999
Soil type: Calcareous and Triassic sandstone

Wombat Creek Vineyard

Owned by Hand Picked Wines, Wombat Creek Vineyard is the highest altitude vineyard in the Yarra Valley, making it an ideal location for the production of extreme cool climate wines. The vineyard was originally planted in 1988 with the intention of producing base wine for sparkling production but over the years has been gradually transitioned to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for table wine. The underlying ferrous (red) based volcanic soil and rock produce a distinctively soft yet long and firm palate that contrasts with the finer palates seen from the nearby Applejack Vineyard (basalt based volcanic).

Location: Gladysdale
Elevation: 420 metres
Aspect: North-east facing
Size: 39 acres
Planted: 1988
Soil type: Volcanic loam (red / ferrous)

Tarraford Vineyard

Located in a protected valley, the boutique Tarraford Vineyard has a discrete microclimate that is cooler than neighbouring sites. Planted in 1988, a diversity of aspect and clones provide multifaceted winemaking opportunities. We are committed to exploring biodynamic farming practices with the overall aim of further developing the vineyard fingerprint and embracing the unique personality of this site.

Location: Tarrawarra
Elevation: 100 metres
Aspect: North, south and east facing
Size: 21 acres
Planted: 1988
Soil type: Grey clay loam

Gruyere Farm Vineyard

Located just around the corner from Sexton Vineyard on a gentle east facing slope at the base of the Warramate Ranges, Gruyere Farm Vineyard is planted on ancient soils; shallow gravelly loams over a rocky clay and granite base. Gruyere Farm ripens a little later than other lower Yarra Valley sites caused by a combination of the late ripening I10V1 clone and its easterly aspect.

Location: Gruyere
Elevation: 140 metres
Aspect: North-east facing
Size: 4 acres
Planted: 1995
Soil type: Grey clay loam

Applejack Vineyard

Applejack Vineyard was planted in 1997 by highly respected viticulturist Ray Guerin Today it is meticulously managed by his son Mark. Applejack Vineyard is situated in the Upper Yarra Valley, to the south-east of the traditional valley floor. The higher altitudes result in cooler growing conditions - ideal for Pinot Noir. Applejack Vineyard is located on a dramatic, north-east-facing slope with close-planted vines. This vineyard was purchased by Phil Sexton in 2013.

Location: Gladysdale
Elevation: 300 metres
Aspect: East facing
Size: 29 acres
Planted: 1997
Soil type: Grey / brown clay loam

Sexton Vineyard

Located on the steep slopes of the Warramate Ranges, alongside the vineyards of iconic Yarra producers Yarra Yering and Coldstream Hills, the Sexton Vineyard is in 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. Vigour and bunch yields are set naturally low in this environment, facilitating a low intervention approach to what is otherwise hand tended viticulture.

Location: Gruyere
Elevation: 130 - 210 metres
Aspect: North facing
Size: 75 acres
Planted: 1997
Soil type: Grey clay loam