The 1996 Giaconda Chardonnay, based on the P58 clone, was an exquisite long-living wine that propelled Giaconda to the forefront of the emerging ultra-fine chardonnay scene. Sourced from a south-facing contour-planted vineyard, the Giaconda style became an important foil to Margaret River and ‘Melbourne Dress Circle’ chardonnay.
The pristine fruit, flinty complexity, richness of flavour, and linear structure gave it a timeless quality. This expressive vintage established Giaconda Chardonnay as one of Australia’s most individual and important wines. Australian wine writer and burgundy specialist Philip Rich wrote, ‘I consider Giaconda Chardonnay to be the best Chardonnay in the world outside Burgundy – and better than all but the best of Burgundy’. This sentiment is still widely shared.
Philip Rich wrote, ‘I consider Giaconda Chardonnay to be the best Chardonnay in the world outside Burgundy – and better than all but the best of Burgundy’.
