Wine of the year
What can I say, the past two years have delivered us some truly amazing results from some of Australia's most well respected wine writers. The 2010 and 2011 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay vintages will surely be regarded as some of Giaconda's best Chardonnay to date:
- Best Chardonnay - James Halliday, Wine Companion 2014
- Wine of the year - Jeremy Oliver, The Australian Wine Annual 2013
- Wine of the year - Nick Stock, Good Wine Guide 2013
- Best Chardonnay - Nick Stock, Good Wine Guide 2013
- Wine of the year - Phillip Rich, Financial Review Magazine 2012
Wine writer James Halliday has assessed the 2011 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay as being "...eerily like a Grand Cru White Burgundy." Well this year you have the opportunity to try our next vintage for half the price of any comparable White Burgundy - in my opinion! This years wine release is limited and will be closed at the end of November so make sure you do not miss the opportunity.
After using screwcaps since 2004, I am more than happy with the results we have achieved for Chardonnay in particular. This coupled with an almost complete lack of demand for cork closure means we will no longer be offering cork for Chardonnay orders.
With all this emphasis on Chardonnay our red wines have been unduly left in the shade! The 2012 and 2013 vintages have given us exceptional reds, I can assure you of that. For more details please refer to the tasting notes for each individual wine. I have decided to offer some specially priced cases of Shiraz and Nebbiolo - to introduce more of our loyal clients to these outstanding Giaconda reds.
2012 and 2013 will certainly turn out to be classic vintages for Giaconda Shiraz and Pinot Noir. These are wines of great power, complexity and elegance. Our latest releases of Nebbiolo are also looking superb, a true embodiment of this variety. Pinot Noir will not be included in the special case offers (mentioned above) as our production is still very small for this variety.
Finally, I'd like to update you on progress at our exciting new 'Red Hill Nebbiolo' vineyard site located in Beechworth. I will transition to making our Nebbiolo from this new site in the coming years. The vines are growing exceptionally well and we expect to sample the first small crop of fruit this year.
Regards
Rick Kinzbrunner
Beechworth's Granite Cave
18 September 2013The granite cellar at Giaconda Vineyard is the latest project of exceptional winemaker, Rick Kinzbrunner. Nick Stock travels to Beechworth in search of chardonnay, a granite cave and a vision for the future of Giaconda.
Rick Kinzbrunner has an enigmatic presence. Tall, slim and considered, he also has a reputation as a bit of a recluse. It may seem unsurprising then that his latest construct at his Giaconda property in Victoria’s Beechworth, happens to be a cave.
“My goal was always to grow the wine in granite soil,” Kinzbrunner says of his newest cellar, drilled and blasted into the granite rock at Giaconda. For him, it is the last link in the chain of a terroir to which he is deeply endeared: vines grow in granite, their grapes fermented and matured in a granite cellar.
Underground, the physical conditions are vastly better for wine maturation than the previous above ground facilities. Naturally cooled, the air is humid and alcohol is more likely to lower over time in this high humidity than concentrate in the arid, evaporative environment up on the surface.
Kinzbrunner calculates that there will be an average nett loss of around 0.5% in finished alcohol in wines made in the cave rather than a gain of around 0.5% in above ground conditions. This means he is able to deliver full, rich and powerful chardonnay at levels of around 13% alcohol by volume, instead of the previous norm that fell around 14% and without employing mech-anical climate control.
“I’ve stuck to my guns, refined my style and the wines I’m making now are the result. It’s the traditional stuff that’s probably closer to what they were doing hundreds of years ago rather than what many people are doing now.” RK
He has seen instant results in terms of refining wine style and quality. The first wine to emerge having been totally vinified inside the granite cave is the 2010 Giaconda Chardonnay and if this wine is anything to go by, the assessment is accurate.
Kinzbrunner is not prone to exaggeration and as one of Australia’s most capable and experienced winemakers; he has little need to stretch the truth. “It’s the first wine I’ve made that I’ve been truly happy with,” he says, “the culmination of everything I’ve tried to do and wanted to achieve.” The 2010 chardonnay is easily the best rendition of his signature white wine to date and the 2011 is developing handsomely in its shadow.
The inspiration for the cave project stems from Kinzbrunner’s time working in California. However, the impetus to embark on its construction is born of his regard for the granite terroir at Giaconda and the desire to chase down the very best and most unique quality in the wines grown and made there. His focus in terms of winemaking is both narrowing and deepening.
Nick Stock, Alquimie, Edition One