Giants Steps

Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2012

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  Vintage 2012
  94 points The Weekend West September 2013

This demanding exposed vineyard can produce wines of exceptional quality in great years such as 2012. It has been minimally handled, with no malolactic fermentation, fining or filtering. As a result, there are a lot of interesting things happening, with the mineral edge a striking feature and strong primary fruit character.

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  Vintage 2012
  94 points WineWillEatItself.com September 2013

All of these 2012 Giant Steps Chardonnays are far from sterile or safe. There’s ample character, significant lees work and lots of spice in every one of them. The Sexton this year seems to be a bit more cerebral than previous releases. Savory smoky, struck match characters are front and centre but the primary fruit, which chief winemaker Steve Flamsteed believes to be a feature of the vintage, handles those sulphide-like features with aplomb. White stonefruits, apricot, lime and hard cheese all play a role with lemon curd and a fine but driving grapefruit spine providing the foundation. Oatmeal and brazil nuts become more apparent as it opens up. Extremely complex and a little unexpected…but in a delightful way.