Giant Steps Wine Offer

I don’t believe anybody would argue that Mayacama Members love their Pinot Noir & Chardonnay. And while our Club is conveniently located in the heart of the greatest New World growing region for these two amazingly complex varietals, there is certainly plenty of delicious Pinot Noir & Chardonnay grown outside of North America.

As of late, I have been tasting and enjoying the wines coming out of Australia’s Yarra Valley. Located within the Victoria region on the southeast portion of the continent, right above Melbourne, the Yarra Valley has risen to become one of Australia’s top fine wine regions. Pinot Noir is the region’s most planted variety, with Chardonnay coming in a close second. Together, the two grapes account for nearly 75% of Yarra Valley’s total acreage.

Yarra Valley, alongside Margaret River in Western Australia, provides one of the top examples of Chardonnay in Australia. Here the prevailing modern style is stony, and mineral rather than fat and tropical. Malolactic fermentation is rare, and while barrel fermentations are common, new oak levels are generally restrained to one-third or less during maturation. Leesy characteristics frequently appear, and sweet citrus and melon flavors are common.

Despite the level of its Chardonnay, Yarra Valley is best known internationally for the quality of its Pinot Noir. Yarra’s cool climate and generally lengthy growing season promotes a style that is, despite ripe red fruit character, somewhat leaner and lower in alcohol than those produced in Otago, the other premier Pinot Noir-growing region in Oceania.

With many impressive bottlings coming out of the Yarra Valley, a standout producer for me is Giant Steps. This boutique winery was founded in 1997 by wine industry pioneer Phil Sexton, who ventured from Margaret River to Yarra Valley to find the ideal site to cultivate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of purity and finesse. A mad jazz fan, Phil named the winery after John Coltrane’s album and fitting metaphor “Giant Steps.”

The same year he founded the winery, Phil planted his namesake parcel – 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. Bunch yields set naturally low in this environment, resulting in intensely flavored fruit with high skin to juice ratio. The predominant clones are GinGin and Mendoza which produce hens and chickens (large and small grapes on the same bunch), which results in high white tannin and phenolic content to balance the citrus flavors.

Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines are bottled alongside wines from several other prominent single vineyard sites including Primavera Vineyard and the high elevation Wombat Creek Vineyard. While Primavera vineyard is known for its fragrant and floral Pinot Noir, Chardonnay produced from Wombat Creek has lush character along with beautiful acidity.

Today’s Mayacama wine offer provides members with access to four separate Giant Steps bottlings…

2021 Giant Steps, Chardonnay, Sexton Vineyard

2021 Giant Steps, Chardonnay, Wombat Creek Vineyard

2021 Giant Steps, Pinot Noir, Primavera Vineyard

2021 Giant Steps, Pinot Noir, Sexton Vineyard

These are wines that I tasted and selected specifically for the purposes of this exclusive offer, and so if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out.

As always, thank you for your continued support.

Cheers!

Carey Vanderborg, Wine Director

WINES BEING OFFERED:

2021 Giant Steps, Chardonnay, Sexton Vineyard ($75/btl)

2021 Giant Steps, Chardonnay, Wombat Creek Vineyard ($75/btl)

2021 Giant Steps, Pinot Noir, Primavera Vineyard ($85/btl)

2021 Giant Steps, Pinot Noir, Sexton Vineyard ($85/btl)

Learn more about these wines here.