Giaconda to join La Place de Bordeaux
The big news here at Giaconda this year is on an International level – after many years of having been told we should receive more International exposure and recognition, we have been approached by agents for La Place de Bordeaux (an association of French Négociants) to distribute Giaconda wines Internationally.
Giaconda will now be marketed Internationally (except Australia and New Zealand) by Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix (JP Moueix). JP Moueix are one of the most prestigious négociants worldwide and own several prestigious Châteaux including La Fleur-Pétrus. For many years they were also part owners and managers of Château Pétrus. This is a real coup for Giaconda being a very important decision for JP Moueix who have never had a non-french wine label in their portfolio (excluding their own winery Dominus in Napa Valley California). It will certainly elevate Giaconda to another level on the world stage!
On top of this our 2021 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay has recently gained a perfect 100 points rating by the Robert Parker Wine Advocate. As reviewed by Erin Larkin, this is the first Australian white table wine to ever receive this rating. Erin comments “This is an unbelievable wine that will only grow in stature over the coming years.” Read more >
I do understand and appreciate that Giaconda has many loyal and longstanding Australian supporters. As such, the domestic quantity and availability of our wines will not change substantially, except for an inevitable price rise this year. The new arrangement with JP Moueix is simply a consolidation of our existing export allocations.
Many of you will be aware, we missed the 2020 vintage due to the summer bushfires. Since then we have experienced several mild vintages which has resulted in excellent quality, however our vineyard yields have been well below average. Unfortunately this vintage follows the same pattern with even lower yields and this has caused us to cancel the 2022 En Primeur pre-orders for the time being.
Later this year we will be releasing the 2022 Nantua Chardonnay, an exceptional wine made from a blend of Warner Vineyard and Estate Vineyard fruit. We will send an email reminder to our mailing list once this is available to order (mid September). The chardonnay will be accompanied by an excellent release of Nantua Shiraz and Nantua Roussanne with more information to be revealed at the time of release.
This brings me to the subject of Shiraz and Roussanne. For the 2021 and 2022 vintages our shiraz is a blend of Estate Vineyard plus Warner Vineyard fruit made in a combination of small oak barrels, large Boti cask and Amphorae. This is a very rich and complex wine, certainly among the best ever produced here at Giaconda. The other exciting news will be the return of Giaconda Roussanne, formerly named 'Aeolia'. This fruit is now grown at our Estate Vineyard and the first release will be from 2022 (to be offered during the April release next year).
I am continuing our experiments with Terracotta Amphora for fermentation and we are beginning to see great results from the extended maceration. This tends to bring much more complexity and depth from the long maceration. The result with our 2019 Nebbiolo (current release) is truly spectacular! This wine was made in Amphora for the first year and then matured in older French barrels. The resulting wine is in a very traditional Barolo style so please be sure to decant and give it plenty of air! The ultimate aim for this wine is to use an equal blend of Amphora and large traditional Boti casks. Future releases of this wine will certainly be exciting.
View wine offer and read the tasting notes >
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