2021 Chardonnay, Giaconda, Beechworth, Victoria

2021 Chardonnay, Giaconda, Beechworth, Victoria

Releasing soon

Critic score
100/100 info

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Wine details

  • Region & country
    Beechworth, North East Victoria, Victoria, Australia
  • Grape
    Chardonnay
  • Maturity
    Ready 2023 - 2040info
  • Colour
    White
  • Sweetness
    Dry
  • Style
    Still
  • Unit Volume
    Bottle (75cl.)

Tasting notes

The 2021 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay follows on directly from the 2019, as no 2020 vintage was made due to bushfires. The winemaking remains consistent with previous vintages: hand-picked, lightly crushed, then basket pressed, fermented wild in oak in the gravity-flow cellar, matured for 18+ months in French oak (30% new), with 100% malolactic fermentation. The 2021 is backward and flinty at this stage, with a staggering flow of flavor across the palate. It has penetrating characters of saffron, yellow peach, preserved citrus, red apple skins, brine, crushed shells and Indian root spice. I acknowledge that I have a blind spot for high-quality oak. It is present here, but it is seamlessly integrated into and matched by the potency of the fruit presence. This is an unbelievable wine that will only grow in stature over the coming years. As for comparison to previous vintages? The best until now was the 2018, but the 2021 is tighter, more focused and even, if you can believe it, longer. My heart (and money) is here, by a whisker. What a phenomenal wine.

Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (March 2023)
100/100
Giaconda

Trailblazing Australian winery, Giaconda, is the brainchild of Rick Kinzbrunner, a mechanical engineer who turned to winemaking in the 1970s. Having spent much of that decade travelling the wine world and gaining valuable experience with producers including California’s Stags Leap and Bordeaux’s Moueix (owners of Pétrus) he set up his own boutique winery in 1982. He was joined by his son Nathan in 2007. Giaconda is based in Beechworth, north of Melbourne, and is nestled in the foothills of the Victorian Alps. It was one of the first serious wineries in the area, gaining a run of accolades since its inception including Decanter Magazine hailing Rick as one of the world’s best white wine makers in 2006.

His four, well-located hectares of vines are dedicated to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz, all of which are certified organic, and he has a more recently planted one acre plot of Nebbiolo nearby. Giaconda’s vineyards are exceptional; vines are planted across gentle slopes on ancient granite soils providing superb ripening potential. In the winery, Rick and Nathan employ a gentle-winemaking approach; grapes are hand-picked, gravity-fed and gently aged in French oak barrels deep underground in their granite cellar for almost two years. The result is a range of impressive wines which are among some of Australia’s most sought after.

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