Awards, Ratings & Reviews
96/100 — Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion · 2025 Vintage · Published: March 2026
“A blend of equal portions of all the Giant Steps single-vineyard wines. With its aromas of white nectarine, lemon verbena, a little cashew and attractive marine scents, this is immediately appealing. On the palate it's concentrated with grapefruit pith and lemony acidity on the long finish. A class act to drink now and over the next four to six years.”
95/100 — The Wine Front · 2025 Vintage · Tasted: Apr 2026
About This Wine
Circle of Fifths Chardonnay 2025 is blended exclusively from Giant Steps single vineyard sites, bringing together the character and strengths of each vineyard in one wine.
The wine is crafted from Tarraford, Sexton, Primavera, Applejack and Bastard Hill Vineyards in the Yarra Valley.
According to Melanie Chester, “Where the Single Vineyard wines are the pure tones of each vineyard, Circle of Fifths is the chord.”
The 2025 season began with above average winter rainfall, providing excellent soil moisture heading into spring. Warm, dry spring conditions encouraged early shoot development and minimal disease pressure during flowering.
Summer remained warm and dry, leading to an earlier-than-average harvest with healthy fruit and low disease pressure. The resulting wines show vibrant acidity, balance and depth of flavour with freshness and structure for ageing.
Producer Notes
Blended exclusively from our single vineyard sites, Circle of Fifths captures the strengths of these vineyards in one wine – carefully crafted and fine-tuned over myriad blending sessions. These wines were getting lost in the regional expression, and with the Fifths, these sites come together to tell a new story.
About the Producer
At Giant Steps, 100% of the fruit is hand picked and hand sorted in the vineyard. The grapes are transported to the winery and held overnight in a 4°C cold room before pressing the following day.
Chardonnay is whole bunch pressed, either directly to barrel or pressed to tank before immediate transfer to barrel with full solids. Fermentation occurs naturally with wild yeasts in French oak puncheons, with 20% new oak and the balance seasoned oak.
In 2025, approximately 15% of the barrels completed malolactic fermentation. Following fermentation, the wines are lightly sulphured and matured on full lees in a reductive environment without stirring until blending and bottling in December.
Specifications
- Vintage: 2025
- Grape Variety: Chardonnay
- Region: Yarra Valley / Victoria / Australia
- Fermentation: Natural fermentation with wild yeasts
- Maturation: French oak puncheons with 20% new oak; matured on full lees in a reductive environment
- Production Attributes: Hand picked, hand sorted, wild yeast
- Vineyard / Geo Info: Tarraford, Sexton, Primavera, Applejack and Bastard Hill Vineyards
- Alcohol: 13%
- Acidity TA: 7.0g/L
- Acidity pH: 3.15
- Closure: ScrewCap
