Giant Steps

Giant Steps is a Mattinson Ten Star Winery.
Only the best of Australia’s best are ranked as a Mattinson Ten Star Winery.

In 2024 the Giant Steps winery launched two new wines, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both from the same Bastard Hill vineyard in the upper reaches of the Yarra Valley. It was a moment both in time and as the result of time. As the article written here then said: “Giant Steps’ preparation for this moment has been long and specific. It’s been about lands, little lands, slices of vineyard.” In the Giant Steps range each year there are wines from the named vineyards of: Tarraford, Sexton, Wombat Creek, Primavera, Applejack and now Bastard Hill. In the past 20 years there have also been wines released from the named vineyards of: Arthurs Creek, Tosq, Nocton and Lusatia. No winery has made the land its brand better than has Giant Steps.

For a couple of decades the maker behind these wines was Steve Flamsteed, a winemaker of considerable mind, thought, feel and good sense. His winemaking made the Giant Steps name famous and, in the process, he became a hero to lovers of Australian wine. He remains so. Flamsteed seemed throughout this period – to the world both inside and outside of Giant Steps – irreplaceable.

And then Melanie Chester walked into the building.

Giant Steps has been an outstanding winery for a long time, but under Melanie Chester it has come to breathe rare air. The wines each year are structural, immaculate and routinely superb. Indeed it has become true to say that both Chester and Giant Steps are, both individually and together, a force in Australian wine.

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There have been 173 wines of Giant Steps reviewed on The Winefront site since the 2001 release. These reviews include 38 reviews of Giant Steps Sexton vineyard releases, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir principally but including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. There are 21 reviews of Giant Steps Applejack on The Winefront. Fifty-five Giant Steps wines have scored 95 points or above on The Winefront over the past two decades. There’s also a very beautiful 2022 Syrah been reviewed. In 2025 two new wines – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – under the name Giant Steps Circle of Fifths were introduced.