Giant Steps Wombat Creek Chardonnay 2022

Accolades:
95/100 – Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
94/100 – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
94/100 – James Suckling

“Youthful and lively in the glass. Complex aromas of grapefruit, melon skin, mineral and just-ripe stone fruit, teaming nicely with a mealy nuttiness. Focused and precise on the palate. Up front, there’s a core of citrus and nectarine at play, then a swift punch of minerally acidity kicks in and keeps all taut and fine. Plenty of texture and lovely mouth-feel. A very complete wine.“ – Aaron Brasher, The Real Review

“This Wombat Creek Vineyard is farmed organically and is at the top of the mountain in Gladysdale, Yarra Valley (420 meters in elevation). In cool years such as 2022, organic management can be challenging, but the vineyard is on the way to certification. The 2022 Applejack Vineyard Chardonnay ended up being just half the volume of the Wombat Creek Vineyard (four puncheons, which is nothing new, as opposed to eight puncheons in the Applejack) and was taken out of oak four weeks earlier than the other cuvées. Only one of these Wombat Creek puncheons went through malolactic fermentation (i.e., 25% overall). The 2022 Wombat Creek Vineyard Chardonnay leads with a dusty, rocky, spicy nose layered with sandalwood, lemongrass, lemon pith and brine. In the mouth, the wine is tense and full; it’s loaded with flavor and texture. The phenolics have a glassy texture through the mid-palate onward, and the vineyard is planted to I10V1 with a little bit of clone 76. This is a lovely wine. It is fleshy and sapid. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.” – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“Discreet and a little more subdued than its siblings. The highest vineyard in the Yarra. Despite being gently mid-weighted with lower alcohol, this feels softer and looser at the seams, while still typically intense. Bitter almond, lemon zest, nectarine and pistachio accents roll across a skein of tangerine freshness and cinnamon oak. Oatmeal lees at the core. The finish is exceptionally long and effusive of energy. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.” – James Suckling

Vintage Note: 2022 was a high quality but low yielding season in the Yarra Valley. A very cool, wet and stormy spring resulted in some challenging conditions around flowering and hence very poor fruit set. The season proceeded to dry out into December, with a dry and warm Christmas period. This exacerbated the already small bunch weights, leading to bunches that weighed up to 40% lower than average. The mild summer meant long, slow ripening and flavour concentration throughout summer, with some well-placed rain in January refreshing the vineyards at just the right time. The strong canopies and low fruit load meant we sailed neatly into picking with very little disease or weather pressure affecting our picking decisions. The grapes from 2022 came off the vine with lovely concentration and flavour and great natural acidity.

Winemaking Notes: 100% hand picked – very small bunches. Whole bunch pressed, juice transferred to barrel by gravity with no settling. Fermentation in 500L French puncheons, some of which went through malolactic fermentation. Bâtonnage monthly. Maturation for 10 months in new and used French oak – 15% new, 85% older, Mercurey, Taransaud and Dargaud & Jaeglé.

Alcohol: 12.5%

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia