Giant Steps Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2023 -STOCKTAKE-

95 POINTS - Wine Pilot, Shanteh Wale
"Honeycrisp apple skin, lemon zest and green plum. Winter melon and starfruit. Plumes of talc powder, pomice and honeysuckle. Plenty of white delicate florals and a blush of nectarine. Intoxicating acidity and a kefir creaminess on the finish. A spray of saline and oak appears in its round shapes rather than toasty notes. Alive with energy and creeping unsuspecting power. Drinking well now and will cellar 3-5 years, a great wine for the bite of calamari or richness of abalone."

The Chardonnay grapes are chilled overnight before they are whole bunch pressed the following morning. The juice is immediately transferred into 500L French oak puncheons. 15% of the oak is new, while the remaining 85% is seasoned. The juice is fermented naturally using indigenous yeast over 10 days, finishing with lots of stirring at the end of ferment. Around 10% of the batches go through malolactic fermentation. The wines are then sulphured and kept on lees in barrel until October, when they are blended and bottled.

BBQ roasted prawns with citrus dressing. Pan seared john dory fish with capers. Roasted asparagus with mustard vinaigrette and slithered almonds.