2024 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay

97 POINTS

Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion

A blend of Gingin and Bernard clones planted in '97 between 100 and 200m in Gruyere. 20% new oak and 10% mlf. Another salivating and seductive Sexton Chardonnay with its bouquet of stone fruits, preserved lemons, freshly ground coffee beans and roasted hazelnut. The beautifully balanced and tightly coiled palate is underpinned by its concentration and intensity. Finishes saline and extremely long. It's all here and needs another five to seven years, at least, to reach its zenith.

96 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

Smallest volume make in some time. Finer than the Tarraford. Gentle reduction, stonefruit, brine, ginger, river-stones and a dry, almost salty feel on the finish. Gentle infusion of mango skin and citrus but juicy and fine throughout. There’s so much finesse to this release. There’s fantastic intensity to the fruit too; just when you think it’s finished it keeps on throwing punches. The small make has added, it would seem, to both the power and to the length here. This is a sensational Sexton chardonnay.

95 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2024 Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay leads with dried mint and white peach, lemon zest and brine. In the mouth, the wine is tightly coiled and almost austere; certainly, the acidity is like a whip in the mouth, lashing the fruit and trailing out over the finish. It's a mouthwatering wine, salty too. 13.2% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. The 30-hectare Sexton vineyard was planted in 1997 in Gruyere at 130 to 210 meters in elevation, to roughly half Mendoza clone, some Gingin and a variety of Bernard clones (76, 277 and 96). Within the vineyard is a variety of aspects and elevations; the block that provides the source for this wine is Block 11 (Bernard clones), and the on the north-facing side of the vineyard is the Mendoza/96 component. There are deeper soils and bigger canopies over this way, and this provides the generosity and texture for this cuvée.

93 POINTS

Angus Hughson - Vinous

The 2024 Chardonnay Sexton is more pithy and open-knit. It delivers generous nectarine and musky peach skin aromas, with subtle flint and nougat-scented French oak. This is a flavorsome style, more expansive, expressive and fleshy than the other single vineyard wines from 2024, which is to its advantage, before softening on the finish.