2023 Giaconda
The story of Giaconda is a remarkable journey of faith in nature, self-belief and ambition. Rick Kinzbrunner is making some of Australia’s most exquisite wines. This year’s releases are a wonderful testament to a great Australian winemaker and an exceptional vineyard site. The multi-layered and complex Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay is a gloriously evocative wine and one of the finest releases of all time. It highlights incredible attention to detail, the natural distinguishing marks of a great vineyard and a super vintage.
This is backed up by the 2021 Giaconda Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir, from the same vineyard, which is about as good as you can get. Having tasted a fair swag of 2021 Pinot Noirs around the country, regarded as a top notch vintage, this wine is particularly expressive and resonating. The 2019 Giaconda Nebbiolo also highlights Rick Kinzbrunner’s virtuosity and creativity as a winemaker. These releases are a tour-de-force and further display the extraordinary singularity and brilliance of Giaconda. This estate is destined for international stardom.
2021 Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, Beechworth - Victoria
Medium pale colour. Intense flinty, lemon glace, grapefruit, nectarine, beeswax, wetstone hint matchstick aromas. Beautifully seductive wine with gorgeous ripe nectarine, lemon glace, grapefruit flavours, expressive flinty, waxy notes, fine loose knit al dente textures, superb creamy viscosity, underlying marzipan, vanilla notes and wonderfully integrated acidity. Extraordinary wine. This is a brilliant Giaconda Chardonnay with superb density, fruit complexity, flow and mineral length. Australian Grand Cru. Absolute genius. Drink now – 2032 13.5% alc 100 points
2021 Giaconda Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir, Beechworth - Victoria
Medium deep crimson. Fresh wild strawberry, raspberry pastille, aromas with a hint marzipan/ roasted almond notes. Beautifully balanced Pinot Noir with strawberry, raspberry, red cherry, hint chinotto fruits, fine chalky/ al dente textures. Superb mid palate viscosity and underlying vanilla marzipan oak notes. Finishes slinky and long. Wonderful voluminous Pinot Noir with superb concentration and mineral torque. One of the finest of the 2021 Australian vintage. Drink now – 2030 13.8% alc 98 points
2019 Giaconda Nebbiolo, Beechworth - Victoria
Medium crimson. Beautiful fragrant red cherry strawberry, hint marzipan, roasted walnut aromas with hints of dark chocolate. Wonderfully complex and supple with red cherry pastille, strawberry, chinotto flavours, a hint of flint/graphite notes, fine loose knit chalky/ velvety tannins, superb mid palate viscosity and underlying marzipan, vanilla roasted walnut notes. Slinky and minerally at the finish. Very impressive with lovely density, silkyiness and torque if that’s not a contradiction! Drink now – 2028 14% alc 96 points