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Winemaker of the year 2008 finalists: Steve Flamsteed & Phil Sexton

It is always intriguing to discover what draws an individual to devote their life to wine or, in this case, two individuals. The chronicles of Giant Steps proprietor Phil Sexton and winemaker Steve Flamsteed are colourful and diverse. The two threads of this story begin in Europe, progress through Western Australia, then finally converge in the Yarra Valley. Having joined forces in 2003, today they are producing an outstanding range which has garnered their joint nomination as Winemaker of the Year.

The cellar door says it all – a bustling place that welcomes rather than intimidates the visitor. The affordable and approachable Innocent Bystander label (seven wines) takes the ego out of wine and encourages timid buyers into new territory. But impressive as that is, it’s the single-vineyard wines of the Giant Steps label (Sexton, Miller and Tarraford) that have caught the judges’ attention.

For Sexton, the genesis of today’s venture began when he undertook a master of science degree in Britain, specialising in brewing and fermentation. This elevated him from being a novice brewer to a qualified master. After spending time in Europe, he returned to Australia and founded the Matilda Bay Brewing Company in Western Australia. As wine science was only a small additional step, he studied this too, at Wagga Wagga. In 1981, Sexton bought a vineyard in Margaret River and established a winery called Devil’s Lair.

Steve Flamsteed came to wine through food. As a qualified chef, he skied his way through the European snowfields, working in lodges and cafes. A love of cheese secured him a scholarship to study farmhouse cheesemaking in France. But it was working as a cellar hand in Brouilly, Beaujolais, that altered his course towards winemaking. Returning to Australia, he enrolled at Roseworthy and, after graduating, worked for Leeuwin Estate and Hardy Wine Company before being transferred to Yarra Burn in Victoria.

Meanwhile, Sexton had become preoccupied with cool-climate viticulture and began to explore the relationship between site and clonal material. As a producer of Margaret River cabernet, he was impressed by the finesse, structure and longevity of the Yarra Valley examples and the way their ripeness belied the alcohol levels.

Despite running their two boutique ventures, Sexton and his wife Allison (a biochemist and winemaker) wanted to create a sustainable business that supported them and also provided a place to live and grow. In 1996, they sold Devil’s Lair and headed east. As it happens, the site they selected was next to Yarra Yering.

Sexton and Flamsteed met at a Yarra Valley pinot workshop in 2002. Flamsteed expressed interest in working together and shortly after became assistant winemaker. In time, he took over the chief winemaking duties. This year, Sexton is proud to say they’ve reached cash-flow break-even point, which for him is as important as making great wine.

The two agree it’s taken time to understand the nature of the three mature vineyards with which they work. As it turns out, the Tarraford Vineyard makes a beautifully perfumed, bone-china pinot and a minerally lemon-citrus chardonnay. The same varieties in the Sexton Vineyard tend to carry more richness and weight. Harry’s Monster, a cabernet-merlot-petit verdot blend, is also cultivated here and has blackberry fruit with chalky tannins. The straight merlot is a textbook example, and Miller Vineyard provides a pure, medium-bodied shiraz on the wild, savoury side.

Sexton and Flamsteed credit their success to the energy and enthusiasm of their team  and growers. Exclusive long-term contracts have created meaningful partnerships, eliminating the wrestle between buyer and seller. As a consequence, their increasingly natural farming practices flow through to their winemaking. This philosophy completes Sexton’s picture of Giant Steps as an enterprise that is both responsible, sustainable and fizzing with entrepreneurial flair.

TEXT SOPHIE OTTON PHOTOGRAPHY GIANT STEPS

This article appeared in the August/September 2008 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.