A stellar vintage
15 March 2017
As I write we are in the middle of another promising vintage. Less frenetic than the last, picking started in late February. An abundance of rainfall during winter and spring has helped carry us through summer, thankfully devoid of heat spikes. This has been a throwback year to the type of vintages I experienced in the 1990s. We can expect good flavour intensity due to longer vine maturation, excellent colour and lovely acid balance.
In the vineyard we have grafted the warmest top block of chardonnay over to shiraz. This will offer an additional cooler and complimentary component to our Estate Shiraz resulting in finer balance. Losing the warmest block of chardonnay will only serve to enhance the overall quality of this wine also.
We have continued to refine practices in the vineyard to ensure they comply with a possible organic certification in future. Our commitment to better vineyard management devoid of systemic chemicals, in our opinion, is the best path we can follow in pursuit of continuous improvement.
Netting has enhanced the Pinot Noir fruit considerably this year, not only due to reduced bird damage but also shading from the sun. I suspect the black nets (as opposed to white) are more effective at shading and sun absorption. We plan to expand this trial somewhat as the pinot fruit we harvested this year is some of best I have grown.
Our latest En Primeur offer is from the 2016 vintage. An early vintage due to a warmer winter and spring has delivered wines with richness and plenty of character. I can report both shirazes are building complexity in barrel and will be an excellent follow on from previous releases. The chardonnay is also a particularly flavoursome wine, with strong vineyard character coming through.
Now to the 2015 vintage. I believe the current releases are some of the finest wines made here at Giaconda to date. A stellar vintage combined with more refinements to our winemaking has delivered wines of depth, purity, complexity and aromatic beauty. In order to avoid disappointment I encourage you to order promptly.
Stop Press! We are excited to announce the appointment of Casey White as our new Vineyard Manager. Casey comes to us with a wealth of experience and knowledge having been successful in this role at Beechworth's largest vineyard operation, Indigo Wines. We look forward to sharing more vineyard news with you in future newsletters.
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Sincerely,
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