Passion pays off
15 April 2015
True winemaking and the great wines of the world come about from following your passion and simply doing that which you love and can do best, rather than trying to create something to please everyone.
From my view point, the policy of doing less and concentrating only on those things for which I am truly passionate about is beginning to pay off. This is contrary to many other winemakers who are caught up in the trend of doing more – more complexity, more varieties, more spin - which I feel actually equates to less.
The evolution and continuation of great Chardonnay here at Giaconda is a direct result of this philosophy. I believe the slow maturation in our underground granite cave, combined with more careful work in the vineyard and further honing of the winemaking techniques we employ, has given us an unprecedented run of great Chardonnays from 2010 right through to the extremely exciting 2015 vintage.
After 30 years of refinement it requires focus and detail to gain small improvements in the wines.
As a direct result of fermenting underground at lower temperature with a naturally high humidity, we often observe an elongation of the fermentations. There is something special about these longer fermentations: they build more complexity into the wines. It is not uncommon for wineries in Burgundy to have fermentations last up to a year, sometimes more. Under our unique conditions here at Giaconda the wines spend more time maturing before any sulphur additions are required, resulting in greater complexity.
You may have read or heard something about natural winemaking? At Giaconda the definition of natural winemaking is to run the juice by gravity to barrel and allow it to ferment spontaneously, using our indigenous yeasts, and always with full natural malolactic fermentation. Our regime and the environment created by our cave also enables us to reduce the sulphur additions to much lower levels than previously used. We do not filter the wine before bottling. In Europe this approach has consistently produced some of the worlds most acclaimed wines for hundreds of years.
In reference to Pinot Noir, we are starting to see great results from our new plantings with more of the 'old fashioned' MV6 clone showing it has as an essential role to play. I think we can make more consistent and great Pinot Noir going forward, compared with the past flashes of brilliance. From now on this will be entirely Estate grown fruit with no Yarra Valley contribution. This is not to denigrate Yarra Valley Pinot Noir, but I feel we need to concentrate on single vineyard wines for our Giaconda label.
In other news, we were very proud to be represented on the front cover of Decanter Magazine March 2015 as one of the worlds best Chardonnays (outside of Burgundy). You can read more about their tasting of our Estate Vineyard Chardonnay below.
Last year Jeremy Oliver awarded the 2012 Estate Vineyard Shiraz 'Wine of the year' in his book the Australian Wine Annual. In a tightly contested field with many wonderful wines it was gratifying to see years of planning and dedication to creating another truly inspiring Estate Vineyard wine come to fruition with such an acknowledgement. In addition, the 2012 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay was awarded fourth best wine, and his top Chardonnay of the year.
In common with many other regions, the 2014 vintage was very much reduced in quantity by frost. As a consequence of this our En Primeur offer will be limited to a release of two wines only: 2014 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay and 2014 Estate Vineyard Shiraz.
Coming in next year's newsletter... barrel tasting notes of the first Nebbiolo from our new Red Hill (Beechworth) vineyard. In addition, we will have information on our new terracotta amphorae wine trials.
Thanks for your continued support.
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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