Region: Australia - Victoria - Beechworth
Grapes: Shiraz
Alcohol: 13.8%
Notes on the Wine
Dark red to coal black in colour. Notes of damp forest floor combine with a zephyr of savoury meats and campfire smoke, with raspberry and star anise notes lifted by the whole-bunch component. Round and rich with a satisfying fruit laden palate of wild berries coming to the fore. The tannins are powder-fine and convey red fruits with a twist of spiced vanilla oak, long on the palate. Evocative and immensely complex, this finishes with a strong mineral and graphite impact.
Notes oin the Producer
Rick Kinzbrunner founded Giaconda in 1981, on the north side of Wangaratta Road, near Everton Hills (in modern-day Beechworth GI). What started as a humble plot of chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon would eventually become one of the most acclaimed Australian wineries—putting the name Beechworth on the fine-wine map.
Rick found a second career in wine, starting out his professional life as a mechanical engineer. Wine captured his imagination in the mid-1970s. He travelled to California to work with some of the great producers of the day, including Stag’s Leap, Simi, Matanzas Creek, and the Moueix group. Upon returning to Australia, he worked with Brown Brothers until he founded Giaconda, releasing his first wines in 1987, from the 1985 vintage.
Rick very quickly eschewed any chemical inputs, converting to organics and focusing on regenerative agriculture from the beginning (certified organic in 2019). Though Giaconda makes excellent shiraz, pinot noir, nebbiolo, cabernet sauvignon, and roussanne, the winery soon became known for its show-stopping chardonnay. By the 2005 edition of Langton’s Classification, Giaconda’s Estate Chardonnay had been lauded with an “Exceptional” status, one of the few white wines (and the only Beechworth wine) to ever receive such an accolade.
