Giant Steps Circle Fifth Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2024 750ml

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2024

    •    Halliday Wine Companion (Philip Rich): 96 Points – "An absolute cracker... aromas of gently grilled nuts, confit lemon, and a touch of struck match."

    •    The Wine Advocate 94 Points - "The 2024 Circle of Fifths Chardonnay comprises a blend of all five single vineyards. The wine shows a little of all, and in so doing, some of none. There is the austerity of acidity and cavalcade of crushed, salted and pasted nuts, lemon zest, citrus oil and green leaves, coupled finally with the floral and tea-like notes evident in all five cuvées. It's an interesting composition, perhaps a little frenetic, like some of John Coltrane's work (Circle of Fifths is named after the jazz arrangement toward the circle of fifths root movement, whereas Coltrane's proclivity is in thirds, which is unusual. Giant Steps was named after Coltrane's studio album), but pleasurable in just the same way. In its way, this wine endorses and emphasizes the singularity of the single-vineyard wines, but it offers immense satisfaction of its own accord as well. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap."

    •    James Suckling: 95 Points – "Mid-weighted and textural with a strong mineral drive... mouthwatering finish."

    •     
The Wine Front: 95 Points – "Direct, powerful, and potent... it feels like a producer at the top of their game."


 
Winemaker Description  | 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. 

The 2024 vintage was a more classic Yarra season. A cool start to Spring and ideal flowering conditions led to good fruit set and moderate yields. December was cool and mild, with significant rainfall at New Years and during the first week of January, giving the vines a good drink leading into the heat of February. Mid to late February was drier and warmer than is common in the Yarra, leading to great ripening conditions with no disease pressure and quite a fast vintage. In 2024, all of our Pinot and Chardonnay was ready in quick succession, leading to a compressed harvest - with the whole valley picked in the space of 3 weeks (where it normally spreads across 6 weeks). An exciting ride for our team, but ultimately giving us wines with great flavour, bright acidity and balance.

Memo Summary Notes

The Giant Steps "Circle of Fifths" Chardonnay 2024 is an inaugural, high-profile release from one of Australia's most acclaimed cool-climate producers. Recently named the 2025 Halliday Winery of the Year, Giant Steps created this "Circle of Fifths" series as a premium bridge between their regional blends and their specific single-vineyard bottlings.

The name is a musical reference to John Coltrane’s jazz theories, symbolizing the "harmony" created by blending fruit from all five of their estate single vineyards: Sexton, Tarraford, Applejack, Primavera, and Bastard Hill.