Shared by someone at dinner. Screw cap, had no idea this was an iconic Chardonnay nor its current exorbitant market value. Not my style but I can appreciate why some really enjoy it. Lots of intense smokey ash or some might say burnt matchstick. The fruit is in the background, so I recommend a decant. The malo and oak are quite interesting... definitely not California run of the mill Chardonnay. Nice mouth feel, and a light medley of tropical and some mild stone fruit with some lemon and minerals. The finish is fairly dry and savory. Definitely not Chablis like as some may have alluded to. A just ok match with food (from a mushroom flatbread / pizza style to fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with mozzarella). The matchstick aromas fade over time, and the wine becomes less complex. Suggest holding them longer and a splash decant at a minimum. Perhaps ok at $100 but if really $300, I'd rather have white Burg...
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NSG night at Duomo: Thought it was quite puligny then thought it was chablis. Zingy lemon curd, white flowers, saline on the bouquet, palate showing riper yellow fruit - pineapples, yellow peaches and plums. Great acidity and minerality - electrical! Burg killer definitely.
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Nice wine, but chewed up and spat out by the Leeuwin 2018 in our annual Giaconda v Leeuwin January tasting. This time, the 2018, 2014 and 2010 vintage were in the gun. Leeuwin streets ahead in 18 and 14, the 2010 was line-ball, I marginally preferred the Leeuwin, but it was a 4-4 vote (8 very experienced wine drinkers, 5 in the trade)
I guess its "groovy baby" to produce massively reduced chards, perhaps aimed at pleasing bored wine critics and delighting label-drinkers, but when you stack up these two winerys, one is constantly and significantly better, and it is now 1/3 the price!!! lol.
I must be one of those fools who drinks wine for enjoyment.
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As I drank the 2018 Giaconda Chardonnay, I found myself wondering if this is the best Chardonnay made in the New World today; and also reflecting on how risk-averse so much contemporary white Burgundy has become. Unwinding in the glass with notes of crisp stone and orchard fruit mingled with accents of citrus zest, hazelnut, gunflint and bread dough, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, tangy acids and a long, precise finish. It's a spectacular wine that I'd kill to own more of.
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The wine served blind were immediately recognized by my friends. This mixture of flint, matches, popcorn and white sesame is great as quite unique. The reduction is still evident but has degraded somewhat compare from a year ago, the wine has gained body as a result. Last year I had it at 98 points, this year below that as it has become a bit plumper in my perception. Perhaps it was also due to the previously drunk 2015 Corton Charlemagne from Roulot, which simply made the difference of finesse and balance clear. Still, this is great stuff.
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Wow! My first encounter with this wine and winery and this blew me away. A 100 points bouquet full of nutty notes, flint and matchstick. Seamless on the palate with good freshness. A wonderful wine and certainly one of the top white I’ve had this year. It might be a bit richer than your average Burgundy but not only matches the flint/matchstick/nutty component you expect from Coche, but the complexity is on a level of a great GC too.
TN: A nose to die for. Perfection. No question. So much flint, matchstick, some toffee, toasted sesame, nutty notes. I could smell this forever. On the palate this continues with loads of toasty notes, matchstick, flint, toasted sesame again, some yellow fruit underneath and crushed rocks. It is rich but with so much acidity and cut. Long and enticing. The balance is impeccable. So complete.
Decanting: No extensive decanting needed.
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Tasted at the Matter of Taste Zurich, Top Rated Wines of 2022 Masterclass. Erin Larkin says there is lots of oak (70% new) being used here which explains the reduction. Indeed I found thick notes of popcorn and fine oak, but also mineral notes of flint and a fruit profile that included both bruised pear but also slightly unripe, green banana. The palate had slightly creamy texture and unexpectedly fresh acidity. A Gran Cru level Chard I would love to check out with a 10 years of bottle age or so, but already irresistible now.
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Matter of Taste 100 Point Master Class: We have a wow nose here, reductive, reminding me of Paul Pillot, Coche or old Leflaives. This is grown 3h east from Melbourne, 2y in Oak, 30% new. Lemon curd, pop corn. Elegant palate, chalky finish. Really excellent.
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Nose: guava, citrus, flintstone, sesame Notes: tasted this wine blind. Although it is still quite clear that this is a wine from the new world but I must say the nose is already quite sophisticated and provides plenty of the Burgundian characteristics, especially the sesame which are usually present in top Burgundies. The wine is quite rich and full bodied and even after opening for 2-3 hours the nose didn't change much. I think this wine can endure further aging and probably will benefit from the aging. However it is difficult for me to say that this wine can be a substitute to say 1er Cru level white from Burgundy (I believe that would be the right comparison given the price point plus the way the wine is made). Beneath all the complexity on the nose as well as the palate I feel this is a little too deliberate and overwhelming and I thought the wine has some room for improvement in terms of balance. I think with some more aging this could potentially improve so I am willing to give the same wine another try in a couple of years. Drink: 2027+ Rating: 89
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Hartsyard supper (Hartsyard, Newtown): Struck match, bacon fat; reductive...really should have decanted this or left it for 5 years. Juicy, fresh acid, again the reductiveness notes dominate the palate as well. Under this overt wine-making trickery there is some stone fruit, slight citrus and plenty of good quality and expensive oak in support. Years required.
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not much to say about Giaconda Chardonnay. it is the best in Australia by a mile. This bottle was as expected. Opulent fat rich laden with Pear, ripe lemon, ripe limes, melons, all wrapped in gentle toasty oak and mouthwatering acid and 10 years from being at its best where it will easily merit a higher score. Superb to drink now but you just know you are in for a treat in a decades time.
"Great wine. Top 3 Aussie Chardonnay. Slight green grass palate that will disappear in another 3 years. Deeper yellow colour than I’d expect from 3 year old wine. It will however continue to get darker with age. Great with a kettle roasted duck for lunch on Mother’s Day
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tasted blind: waxy, some greenness, stone fruits, hint of oak, maybe flinty/reductive? palate is fairly balanced, med acidity, my initial guess was chablis, I was surprised to see it was aussie
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Friday at the strand (Strand Cellars, Croydon): Woof. Toasted oak, struck match, malo and lees...the secondary components dominate the primary fruit at this stage. The palate very much a reflection of the nose. It's bit unapproachable at this stage for me but shows potential - very long finish.
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4/6/2024 - VincentMorey wrote:
Shared by someone at dinner. Screw cap, had no idea this was an iconic Chardonnay nor its current exorbitant market value. Not my style but I can appreciate why some really enjoy it. Lots of intense smokey ash or some might say burnt matchstick. The fruit is in the background, so I recommend a decant. The malo and oak are quite interesting... definitely not California run of the mill Chardonnay. Nice mouth feel, and a light medley of tropical and some mild stone fruit with some lemon and minerals. The finish is fairly dry and savory. Definitely not Chablis like as some may have alluded to. A just ok match with food (from a mushroom flatbread / pizza style to fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with mozzarella). The matchstick aromas fade over time, and the wine becomes less complex. Suggest holding them longer and a splash decant at a minimum. Perhaps ok at $100 but if really $300, I'd rather have white Burg...
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1/30/2024 - RobinTeo wrote: 93 Points
NSG night at Duomo: Thought it was quite puligny then thought it was chablis. Zingy lemon curd, white flowers, saline on the bouquet, palate showing riper yellow fruit - pineapples, yellow peaches and plums. Great acidity and minerality - electrical! Burg killer definitely.
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1/24/2024 - felixp Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice wine, but chewed up and spat out by the Leeuwin 2018 in our annual Giaconda v Leeuwin January tasting. This time, the 2018, 2014 and 2010 vintage were in the gun.
Leeuwin streets ahead in 18 and 14, the 2010 was line-ball, I marginally preferred the Leeuwin, but it was a 4-4 vote (8 very experienced wine drinkers, 5 in the trade)
I guess its "groovy baby" to produce massively reduced chards, perhaps aimed at pleasing bored wine critics and delighting label-drinkers, but when you stack up these two winerys, one is constantly and significantly better, and it is now 1/3 the price!!! lol.
I must be one of those fools who drinks wine for enjoyment.
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11/26/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:
As I drank the 2018 Giaconda Chardonnay, I found myself wondering if this is the best Chardonnay made in the New World today; and also reflecting on how risk-averse so much contemporary white Burgundy has become. Unwinding in the glass with notes of crisp stone and orchard fruit mingled with accents of citrus zest, hazelnut, gunflint and bread dough, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, tangy acids and a long, precise finish. It's a spectacular wine that I'd kill to own more of.
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7/17/2023 - MQuentel@web.de Likes this wine: 96 Points
The wine served blind were immediately recognized by my friends. This mixture of flint, matches, popcorn and white sesame is great as quite unique. The reduction is still evident but has degraded somewhat compare from a year ago, the wine has gained body as a result. Last year I had it at 98 points, this year below that as it has become a bit plumper in my perception. Perhaps it was also due to the previously drunk 2015 Corton Charlemagne from Roulot, which simply made the difference of finesse and balance clear. Still, this is great stuff.
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3/12/2023 - Cailles wrote: 98 Points
Wow! My first encounter with this wine and winery and this blew me away. A 100 points bouquet full of nutty notes, flint and matchstick. Seamless on the palate with good freshness. A wonderful wine and certainly one of the top white I’ve had this year. It might be a bit richer than your average Burgundy but not only matches the flint/matchstick/nutty component you expect from Coche, but the complexity is on a level of a great GC too.
TN: A nose to die for. Perfection. No question. So much flint, matchstick, some toffee, toasted sesame, nutty notes. I could smell this forever. On the palate this continues with loads of toasty notes, matchstick, flint, toasted sesame again, some yellow fruit underneath and crushed rocks. It is rich but with so much acidity and cut. Long and enticing. The balance is impeccable. So complete.
Decanting: No extensive decanting needed.
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3/11/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 97 Points
Tasted at the Matter of Taste Zurich, Top Rated Wines of 2022 Masterclass. Erin Larkin says there is lots of oak (70% new) being used here which explains the reduction. Indeed I found thick notes of popcorn and fine oak, but also mineral notes of flint and a fruit profile that included both bruised pear but also slightly unripe, green banana. The palate had slightly creamy texture and unexpectedly fresh acidity. A Gran Cru level Chard I would love to check out with a 10 years of bottle age or so, but already irresistible now.
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3/11/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 97 Points
Matter of Taste 100 Point Master Class: We have a wow nose here, reductive, reminding me of Paul Pillot, Coche or old Leflaives. This is grown 3h east from Melbourne, 2y in Oak, 30% new. Lemon curd, pop corn. Elegant palate, chalky finish. Really excellent.
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1/3/2023 - TWSA wrote: 89 Points
Nose: guava, citrus, flintstone, sesame
Notes: tasted this wine blind. Although it is still quite clear that this is a wine from the new world but I must say the nose is already quite sophisticated and provides plenty of the Burgundian characteristics, especially the sesame which are usually present in top Burgundies. The wine is quite rich and full bodied and even after opening for 2-3 hours the nose didn't change much. I think this wine can endure further aging and probably will benefit from the aging. However it is difficult for me to say that this wine can be a substitute to say 1er Cru level white from Burgundy (I believe that would be the right comparison given the price point plus the way the wine is made). Beneath all the complexity on the nose as well as the palate I feel this is a little too deliberate and overwhelming and I thought the wine has some room for improvement in terms of balance. I think with some more aging this could potentially improve so I am willing to give the same wine another try in a couple of years.
Drink: 2027+
Rating: 89
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8/22/2022 - chatters wrote:
Hartsyard supper (Hartsyard, Newtown): Struck match, bacon fat; reductive...really should have decanted this or left it for 5 years. Juicy, fresh acid, again the reductiveness notes dominate the palate as well. Under this overt wine-making trickery there is some stone fruit, slight citrus and plenty of good quality and expensive oak in support. Years required.
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2/23/2022 - Cmca1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
White stone fruit, power. Extremely long finish, something to behold. Australian GC
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11/11/2021 - yodamark Likes this wine: 97 Points
not much to say about Giaconda Chardonnay. it is the best in Australia by a mile. This bottle was as expected. Opulent fat rich laden with Pear, ripe lemon, ripe limes, melons, all wrapped in gentle toasty oak and mouthwatering acid and 10 years from being at its best where it will easily merit a higher score. Superb to drink now but you just know you are in for a treat in a decades time.
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6/20/2021 - LWI wrote: 96 Points
Reduction, most structured, utterly impressive, violent intensity
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5/9/2021 - DrinkerTrev Likes this wine: 95 Points
"Great wine. Top 3 Aussie Chardonnay. Slight green grass palate that will disappear in another 3 years. Deeper yellow colour than I’d expect from 3 year old wine. It will however continue to get darker with age. Great with a kettle roasted duck for lunch on Mother’s Day
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5/1/2021 - AWBryce wrote:
tasted blind: waxy, some greenness, stone fruits, hint of oak, maybe flinty/reductive?
palate is fairly balanced, med acidity, my initial guess was chablis, I was surprised to see it was aussie
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2/6/2021 - SimonPh Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful
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8/21/2020 - chatters wrote:
Friday at the strand (Strand Cellars, Croydon): Woof. Toasted oak, struck match, malo and lees...the secondary components dominate the primary fruit at this stage. The palate very much a reflection of the nose. It's bit unapproachable at this stage for me but shows potential - very long finish.
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11/13/2018 - richard.presser Likes this wine:
Barrel sample. Wow!!! Tremendous white Burgundy structure and power. Showing a lot of oak and barrel characters, but this is going to be a cracker!!!
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