Giant Steps

Giant Steps was founded in 1997 by Phil Sexton, one of Australia's most influential figures in modern wine and beer. Sexton had previously developed Margaret River's Devil's Lair estate, selling it to Southcorp in 1996 in the deal that funded both his Yarra Valley move and his subsequent founding of Little Creatures Brewing in Fremantle (1999). The Giant Steps name was chosen from the John Coltrane 1959 jazz composition, reflecting Sexton's deep interest in music and his admiration for Coltrane's technical mastery and creative ambition. Sexton's initial vision was a Yarra Valley estate that would produce both serious single-vineyard wines and a high-volume bistro-style brand under the Innocent Bystander label. The Healesville winery and tasting room, located in a former 1920s timber sawmill at 314 Maroondah Highway, opened in 2006 and was the first winery to operate in a Yarra Valley town centre, anchoring Healesville's emergence as the Upper Yarra's wine tourism hub. By 2015, Sexton had decided to refocus Giant Steps exclusively on premium single-vineyard work; Innocent Bystander was sold to Brown Family Wine Group, and the Healesville winery now dedicates its entire production capacity to the Giant Steps single-vineyard lineup.

• Phil Sexton: co-founder Little Creatures Brewing (Fremantle, 1999); previously developed Margaret River's Devil's Lair estate (sold to Southcorp 1996)
• Giant Steps name drawn from John Coltrane's 1959 jazz composition; reflects Sexton's interest in music and technical mastery
• Healesville winery (former 1920s timber sawmill at 314 Maroondah Highway) opened 2006; first winery to operate in a Yarra Valley town centre
• 2015: Innocent Bystander divested to Brown Family Wine Group; Giant Steps refocused exclusively on premium single-vineyard work

Giant Steps draws fruit from five carefully selected single vineyards across both the Lower and Upper Yarra subregions, each producing distinctive Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bottlings that reflect the site's elevation, soils, and aspect. The Sexton Vineyard, planted in Healesville on red volcanic loam, is the estate's flagship Lower Yarra site and provides the most structured, deepest-fruited Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the portfolio. The Tarraford Vineyard in Yarra Glen sits on sandy loam over clay subsoils and yields more open, perfumed expressions. The Applejack Vineyard at Gladysdale (Upper Yarra) sits on red volcanic basalt at 220 metres elevation and produces tighter, more mineral Chardonnay and lifted, spice-driven Pinot Noir. The Wombat Creek Vineyard in Healesville, at 400 metres elevation in the Upper Yarra, is the coolest site in the lineup and produces the estate's most aromatic and structurally bracing Chardonnay. The Primavera Vineyard, also in Healesville, completes the Upper Yarra trio with refined Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Each single-vineyard bottling is fermented and aged separately to capture site-specific character, with no blending across sites.

• Sexton Vineyard (Healesville, Lower Yarra): red volcanic loam; flagship site for structured, deep-fruited Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
• Tarraford Vineyard (Yarra Glen, Lower Yarra): sandy loam over clay subsoils; open, perfumed Chardonnay and Pinot Noir expressions
• Applejack Vineyard (Gladysdale, Upper Yarra, 220m): red volcanic basalt; tighter, more mineral Chardonnay and lifted, spice-driven Pinot Noir
• Wombat Creek Vineyard (Healesville, Upper Yarra, 400m): coolest site in lineup; most aromatic and structurally bracing Chardonnay

Steve Flamsteed has been Giant Steps' chief winemaker since 2007, working alongside Phil Sexton to establish the estate's modern Burgundian-rigour single-vineyard style. Chardonnay production begins with hand-picking and whole-bunch pressing directly to French oak barriques and puncheons (typically 20-30% new), where natural fermentation proceeds without inoculation. The wines age on lees for 10-12 months in barrel with selective battonage to build texture, and partial malolactic fermentation is used to retain natural acidity in the cooler-site wines (Wombat Creek and Applejack) while allowing fuller malolactic expression in warmer-site wines (Sexton and Tarraford). Pinot Noir uses whole-berry and whole-bunch fermentation in small open vessels with hand plunging; whole-bunch percentages typically range from 20-50% depending on vintage and vineyard character. Maturation in French oak barriques (20-30% new) for 10-12 months precedes minimal-filtration bottling. The house style emphasises site transparency, aromatic precision, and structural elegance over weight or extraction.

• Chardonnay: hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed to French oak barriques and puncheons (20-30% new); natural fermentation; 10-12 months on lees
• Pinot Noir: whole-berry and whole-bunch fermentation in small open vessels with hand plunging; 20-50% whole-bunch depending on vintage
• Maturation: French oak barriques (20-30% new) for 10-12 months; minimal filtration before bottling
• House style: site transparency, aromatic precision, structural elegance over weight or extraction; Burgundian rigour throughout

Giant Steps' commercial portfolio is structured around five single-vineyard Chardonnay and five single-vineyard Pinot Noir bottlings, each named for its source vineyard. The Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the flagship Lower Yarra releases. The Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir offer more open, perfumed expressions of the Lower Yarra. The Applejack Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bring Upper Yarra mineral precision. The Wombat Creek Vineyard Chardonnay is one of Australia's most highly regarded cool-climate Chardonnays, sourced from the coolest site in the Giant Steps lineup at 400 metres. The Primavera Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir complete the Upper Yarra trio. A regional Yarra Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blend, sourced from across the five vineyards, serves as the estate's entry-level introduction to the house style and is widely distributed compared to the more allocation-driven single vineyards. The Giant Steps single-vineyard wines have consistently earned high scores from James Halliday, The Wine Front, and Wine Spectator, placing the estate at the front rank of Australian cool-climate fine wine.

• Single-vineyard Chardonnay lineup: Sexton, Tarraford, Applejack, Wombat Creek, Primavera; each fermented and aged separately to capture site character
• Single-vineyard Pinot Noir lineup: same five vineyards; whole-bunch percentages tailored to each site's natural fruit and tannin profile
• Regional Yarra Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blend: entry-level introduction to the house style; sourced across the five single vineyards
• Consistent high scoring from James Halliday, The Wine Front, and Wine Spectator; among Australia's most highly regarded cool-climate single-vineyard producers

Giant Steps' modern era has been shaped by two transformative transactions. In 2015, Phil Sexton divested the Innocent Bystander brand to Brown Family Wine Group, allowing Giant Steps to refocus its Healesville winery exclusively on premium single-vineyard work. The Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato, Pinot Noir, and other volume-driven labels had built distribution scale through the 2000s and early 2010s; the sale freed Sexton from the operational demands of running both a high-volume brand and a fine-wine estate. In 2020, Jackson Family Wines (California, owners of Kendall-Jackson, La Crema, Verite, Cardinale, and a global portfolio of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay-focused estates) acquired a major stake in Giant Steps, providing capital for vineyard acquisitions, expanded barrel and winemaking infrastructure, and a global distribution platform. Phil Sexton retains chairmanship and creative direction; Steve Flamsteed continues as chief winemaker; and the estate's strategic direction remains focused on the five single-vineyard sites and the Burgundian-rigour house style. The partnership with Jackson Family Wines positions Giant Steps as one of Australia's most globally distributed cool-climate single-vineyard producers and provides the long-term capital structure to continue expanding the single-vineyard lineup.

• 2015: Innocent Bystander divested to Brown Family Wine Group; freed Giant Steps to refocus on premium single-vineyard work
• 2020: Jackson Family Wines (California, owners of Kendall-Jackson, La Crema, Verite, Cardinale) acquired a major stake
• Phil Sexton retains chairmanship and creative direction; Steve Flamsteed continues as chief winemaker; strategic focus on five single-vineyard sites
• Partnership positions Giant Steps as one of Australia's most globally distributed cool-climate single-vineyard producers