Home > Wines We Love > 2021 Giant Steps ‘Fatal Shore’ Pinot Noir

Giant Steps may be a Yarra Valley icon, but here it spreads its wings into the hallowed pinot noir territory of Tasmania, with an expression full of ripe wild berries and violets dusted with baking spices that front a palate of silky plushness and sneakily assertive tannins.

Producer
Giant Steps
Region

Tasmania
RRP

$80
Vintage

2021
Variety/Varieties

Pinot noir
Alc./Vol.

13.5%

Giant Steps may be a Yarra Valley icon, but it’s also been known to spread its wings before. This particular foray is into the hallowed pinot noir territory of Tasmania, with an expression from the Coal River Valley that is redolent with ripe wild berries and violets dusted with baking spices that front a palate of silky plushness and sneakily assertive tannins.

Tasting note

From the Coal River Valley in Tasmania’s south, this is Giant Steps’ incursion into new Pinot territory, for them at least. The Nocton Vineyard was planted in 1999, and while it is decidedly cool climate territory, the abundant sunshine always allows for a full fruit expression, which is what is on display here with both red and black fruits, violets, brown cardamom, vanilla and five spice. The palate is equally expressive, with an almost lush feel, silky and supple but corralled by fine but assertively focused tannins, with pithy plum skin grip. This is an interesting contrast to their Yarra offerings, which lean more on red fruits and finer profiles.

Themes of this wine

Pinot noir

Pinot noir is one of the wine world’s most revered grapes. Notoriously fickle to grow and make, it makes what many see as the pinnacle of red wine in France’s Burgundy, but it’s also found many happy homes around the world, and none more so than in Australia across our cooler viticultural regions.

Tasmania

Tasmania is the only state that is also a wine region, one rather vast region, and, naturally, only a fraction of it is under vine. In truth, Tasmania can be more helpfully divided into its seven subregions, with three in the north around and either side of Launceston, the fourth stretching down the length of the east coast, and with the last three clustered around the southern centres of Richmond, Hobart and Cygnet. Tasmania’s wine industry may have been founded on Bordeaux varieties, but it has been the grapes of Burgundy that have emerged triumphant, and by quite a margin. Towering over all is pinot noir, with chardonnay easily the next most planted variety, with it comfortably filling more sparkling bottles than pinot noir does. Aromatic white grapes complete the general picture, with riesling, sauvignon blanc and pinot gris all well represented.

Home > Wines We Love > 2021 Giant Steps ‘Yarra Valley’ Chardonnay

White stone fruit is joined by subtle nutty and spicy notes, with a gently textured palate cushioning a line of vibrant acidity.

Producer
Giant Steps
Region

Yarra Valley
RRP

$40
Vintage

2021
Variety/Varieties

Chardonnay
Alc./Vol.

12.5%

An amalgam of the five Giant Steps Vineyards, this is always a good reflection of the vintage, and 2021 is one of rare elegance and intensity. White stone fruit is joined by subtle nutty and spicy notes, with a gently textured palate cushioning a line of vibrant acidity.

Tasting note

This is bright but intensely flavourful, with lifted notes of just ripe white stone fruit, nashi against a background of subtly handled winemaking, with a nutty dimension and a spicy glimmer of oak quietly supporting. There’s a lightly textural feel on the front palate, with impeccably ripe natural acidity carrying the flavours long, a stony mineral note chiming in on the finish.

Themes of this wine

Yarra Valley

The Yarra Valley, about 50 km north-east of Melbourne, is one of Australia’s premier wine regions, and one of the country’s coldest viticultural zones. The regional champions are chardonnay and pinot noir, with cabernet and shiraz in more than able support. Aside from the vinous pedigree, the Yarra is also one of the best serviced wine regions for visitors, with a wealth of cellar doors and restaurants, and ample accommodation across the price spectrum.

Chardonnay

With an explosion of interest over the last few decades, chardonnay is now the world’s most planted white grape. With its ability to grow in varied conditions and make everything from sparkling wine, to lean and mineral whites, to full-bodied textural expressions, it is perhaps no surprise to see Burgundy’s key white grape become so dominant.

Home > Wines We Love > 2021 Giant Steps Pinot Noir

Giant Steps have become a true pinot noir star of the Yarra Valley, and their multi-site range is a bellwether for the quality of the vintage. In 2021, that snapshot is a truly exciting one.

Producer
Giant Steps
Region

Yarra Valley
RRP

$40
Vintage

2021
Variety/Varieties

Pinot noir
Alc./Vol.

13.5%

Giant Steps have become a true pinot noir star of the Yarra Valley, and their multi-site range is a bellwether for the quality of the vintage. In 2021, that snapshot is a truly exciting one, with a fragrant wine bursting with wild fruits and dusky florals, and an effortless poise on the palate guiding the fruit into silky harmony.

Tasting note

This is a classic Giants Steps expression from a cool vintage, with lifted notes of cranberry, wild raspberry, raspberry leaf, rosehip red florals and a dusting of spices and graphite on the nose. There’s a sneaky tannin on the palate, a careful layering of detail and real structure without distracting from the immediate joy of the fruit expression. Lithe, supple and fragrant, this is a benchmark modern Yarra pinot.

Themes of this wine

Yarra Valley

The Yarra Valley, about 50 km north-east of Melbourne, is one of Australia’s premier wine regions, and one of the country’s coldest viticultural zones. The regional champions are chardonnay and pinot noir, with cabernet and shiraz in more than able support. Aside from the vinous pedigree, the Yarra is also one of the best serviced wine regions for visitors, with a wealth of cellar doors and restaurants, and ample accommodation across the price spectrum.

Pinot noir

Pinot noir is one of the wine world’s most revered grapes. Notoriously fickle to grow and make, it makes what many see as the pinnacle of red wine in France’s Burgundy, but it’s also found many happy homes around the world, and none more so than in Australia across our cooler viticultural regions.

Home > Wines We Love > 2021 Giant Steps ‘LDR’ Pinot Noir Syrah

One of the finest pinot noir and shiraz blends we’ve seen. A lifted nose of wild forest berries and spices gives way to a palate of bright fruits, darker mineral notes and a feel that is equal parts savoury and vibrantly fresh.

Producer
Giant Steps
Region

Yarra Valley
RRP

$30
Vintage

2021
Variety/Varieties

Pinot noir Shiraz (Syrah)
Alc./Vol.

13.5%

The Yarra Valley have picked up the classic old Hunter Valley blend of pinot and shiraz and really run with it, and this is one of the finest we’ve seen. A lifted nose of wild forest berries and spices gives way to a palate of bright fruits, darker mineral notes and a feel that is equal parts savoury and vibrantly fresh.

Tasting note

The syrah was fermented as whole bunches, while the pinot was destemmed and fermented as whole berries. Lifted notes of forest berries, both red and black, with a swish of bracken, white pepper and dark spices. This is bright and midweight, but it’s savoury, too. The palate is poised down a line of fine tannin and mulberry acidity, a tarry line of spice and minerals adding complexity, the flavours fanning out into wild raspberry and tart blackberry, leaving the palate dry and vibrant.

Themes of this wine

Pinot noir shiraz blends

While pinot noir and shiraz are not quite polar opposites, the thought of blending the two varieties together may seem shocking to many. However, in the Hunter Valley in the 40s and 50s, Maurice O’Shea, one of Australia’s legendary winemakers, made arguably some of our greatest and most enduring wines pairing just those two grapes. Today, there is a renewed interest in the blend, and makers from the staunchly traditional to the restlessly creative are getting on board. Checkout our Deep Dive into pinot noir and shiraz blends for more.

Carbonic maceration (cab-mac)

This technique was made famous by Beaujolais. It’s basically a ferment of whole bunches in a fermenter or tank that is closed up, allowing the grapes to ferment as whole berries. You get a really vibrant and bright fruit expression of fruit.

Whole bunch

Yep, the whole thing. If you ferment with whole bunches, you’ll get a different result. The stems add more tannin, and tannin with a slightly different feel in the mouth to grape skin or oak tannin. You’ll also get some of those berries fermenting more or less whole, which yields a brighter fruit profile alongside a raft of spices.

Pinot noir

Pinot noir is one of the wine world’s most revered grapes. Notoriously fickle to grow and make, it makes what many see as the pinnacle of red wine in France’s Burgundy, but it’s also found many happy homes around the world, and none more so than in Australia across our cooler viticultural regions.

Syrah/shiraz

Shiraz dominates the Australian wine industry, accounting for nearly a third of this country’s vines. The grape’s traditional home is in France’s Northern Rhône, with wines that combine elegance and power, while Australia is perhaps best known for the muscular styles from warmer areas. Today, drinkers of Australian shiraz are spoilt for choice with expressions ranging from the elegant and spicy to the monumental.

Home > Wines We Love > 2020 Giant Steps ‘Ocarina’

A mélange of all the Giant Steps sites fermented in clay eggs, then sealed for maturation, this has all the Giant Steps chardonnay character and precision with a chalky mineral overlay that adds complexity to nose and palate.

Producer
Giant Steps
Region

Yarra Valley
RRP

$65
Vintage

2020
Variety/Varieties

Chardonnay
Alc./Vol.

12.5%

A mélange of all the Giant Steps sites fermented in clay eggs, then sealed for maturation, this has all the Giant Steps chardonnay character and precision with a chalky mineral overlay that adds complexity to nose and palate, lending an almost umami savoury feel to the citrus and cool stone fruit profile.

Tasting note

All the Giant Steps vineyards get pressed into clay eggs, with the lids sealed with clay at the end of fermentation. The coolest sites (Applejack and Wombat Creek) from a cool year went through malo. This has a lifted nose of yellow citrus and cool nectarine with a distinct overlay of sea spray and chalk. That sensation persists on the palate with a charmingly chalky texture, giving the impeccable fruit a subtle mineral accent both to the flavour and the texture, laser-like acidity closing things out.

Themes of this wine

Chardonnay

With an explosion of interest over the last few decades, chardonnay is now the world’s most planted white grape. With its ability to grow in varied conditions and make everything from sparkling wine, to lean and mineral whites, to full-bodied textural expressions, it is perhaps no surprise to see Burgundy’s key white grape become so dominant.

Yarra Valley

The Yarra Valley, about 50 km north-east of Melbourne, is one of Australia’s premier wine regions, and one of the country’s coldest viticultural zones. The regional champions are chardonnay and pinot noir, with cabernet and shiraz in more than able support. Aside from the vinous pedigree, the Yarra is also one of the best serviced wine regions for visitors, with a wealth of cellar doors and restaurants, and ample accommodation across the price spectrum.

Egg-shaped fermenters

Amphorae are some of the most ancient winemaking vessels, and the modern practice of using ovoid fermenters is a very similar idea, with the shape encouraging ferment vectors to swirl and tumble. While amphorae are typically made from clay, eggs (and various other similar shapes, including tulip-shaped vessels) come in a range of materials, from concrete to ceramic to steel.

2021 Giant Steps ‘Fatal Shore’ Pinot Noir Tasmania

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Pinot noir

Tasmania

An amalgam of the five Giant Steps Vineyards, this is always a good reflection of the vintage, and 2021 is one of rare elegance and intensity. White stone fruit is joined by subtle nutty and spicy notes, with a gently textured palate cushioning a line of vibrant acidity.

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Yarra Valley

Chardonnay

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Yarra Valley

Pinot noir

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Pinot noir shiraz blends

Carbonic maceration (cab-mac)

Whole bunch

Pinot noir

Syrah/shiraz

Tasting note

Themes of this wine

Chardonnay

Yarra Valley

Egg-shaped fermenters

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