Giant Steps Chardonnay Wombat 2021 (750ml)

Wine Advocate

Not only is Wombat Creek the vineyard with the highest elevation in the collection (100 meters up the hill from Applejack, circa 400 meters elevation), it is also the most southerly. Planted to the I10V1 clone, this is an interesting (understatement) pigeon pair to the Applejack, in that it boasts the same clone and the same winemaking yet is a higher, cooler site on red dirt instead of gray clay. Fruit for the 2021 Wombat Creek Vineyard Chardonnay was picked a full 10 days after Applejack, 'and it was just a matter of waiting until the fruit was ready,' says Steve Flamsteed (a.k.a. Flamo). 'We had no rain events or botrytis stress at all.' Approximately half of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. 'By the time we got around to picking it, some of the malic acid had respired,' Flamo explains. And it goes a long way toward softening the wine, lending it a nutty, savory character. Pork crackling comes to mind, and in combination with the white orchard fruit and taut saline acidity, it gives the wine an extra dimension of complexity and interest. I think this wine needs some time to unfurl and evolve—I'd love to see it again in a year's time... Chief winemaker Steve Flamsteed (a.k.a. Flamo, to most) has been at Giant Steps for 19 years and counts the 2012, 2015 and 2017 vintages as particular highlights, however he notes that '2021 might be better than any of them.' This likely speaks to a combination of increased vine age (all vineyards are now between 25 and 40 years old) and the 'dream' vintage conditions. Flamo commented, '2021 had lovely flowering, a coolish Indian summer with perfectly timed rain events, 10 to 12 days apart. They gave the vines a dose of nitrogen and some irrigation, but there were no fungal issues. It was a dream year. Haven’t seen one quite like it. 2017 was slow and low, there was time to think—we had protracted ripening. 2021 was not quite as drawn out, but the headspace was there. The picking decisions were not compromised by weather, disease or sunburn—we picked when the fruit was ready.' So, to the wines. This was a very impressive release. The cooler year played slightly more into the hands of the Chardonnays than the Pinot Noirs, in my opinion, however the purity, delicacy and finesse of these wines as a group was never in doubt. The whites have achieved kaleidoscopic complexity and spice, all of it underpinned by gloriously tight acidity and very fine phenolic texture. The reds are spicy, fine-boned and driven by structure and form rather than overflowing fruit, yet the fruit is abundant (and restrained) in each of the cuvées. My favorite wines were the Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay, for its mouthwatering intensity and caper-brine quality, and a very tough split between the Applejack and Primavera Vineyard Pinot Noirs. This is a brilliant collection overall, which most importantly shows the distinct vineyard DNA of each site in harmony with the Giant Steps house style.