Bright, glowing youthful purple-red colour, medium depth; the bouquet is concentrated and rich, plummy and dark-cherried, bold and bright and punchy. The wine is at the fuller bodied end of the Aussie pinot spectrum. Great depth of concentrated black-cherry flavour, terrific length and assertive but nicely balanced tannins. Almost luscious. A very impressive pinot. (From the Nocton Vineyard in the Coal River Valley, Tasmania).
Huon Hooke

A gorgeous, bright, crimson. Perfumed and seductive, this leaps out of the glass with an array of aromas including red and black fruits, peony, Asian spices, orange peel and a hint of fresh vanilla bean. More sweet fruited and textured on the mid palate compared to the more fine-boned and linear Yarra single-vineyard pinots. Concentrated but not heavy, with ripe, gently chewy and persistent tannins.
Philip Rich

Attractive aromas of cherries and strawberries with dried herbs, rose petals and dried blood orange. Medium-bodied with polished texture and ultra fine tannins. It’s so lively and electrified with a pure and ripe fruit character that offers an array of cocoa-dusted strawberries and savory undertones. It’s spicy and long. Delicious.

Made with fruit from the Coal River Valley, in Tasmania, the 2021 Fatal Shore Pinot Noir is a wholly darker and more brooding expression of Giant Steps Pinot Noir, although Flamo's (chief winemaker Steve Flamsteed) take is that they were able to imprint the Giant Steps style on the wine, despite the fruit sourcing, which I agree with. The fruit, in case you were wondering, was reefer-trucked up to the winery and was in the Yarra by the following morning, where the two clones were treated differently; the MV6 was fermented with whole bunches, while the D5V15 was fermented whole berry. This brings a ripe cherry character to mind, with hints of red apple, fresh garden mint and crushed graphite tannins.

This sits back in the palate, rather than forward. It’s pinot sitting up the back of the bus. It’s as much plum as red cherry though either way, it has a macerated character and feel, woven through with sweet cedarwood, and mint. Composure was the word that came to mind. It’s a neat wine, well-enough powered, with length through the finish in its favour. It also has a subtle candied aspect to the acidity, and tannin that clumps ever-so-slightly; the latter of which will resolve as it matures, which it’s been designed to do.
Campbell Mattinson