Family Article
Giaconda Chardonnay Estate Vineyard
Last edited on 7/8/2013 by MyCellar01
There are 2 versions of this article / View version history
Giaconda Tasting Notes
1999 CHARDONNAY
A perfect growing season and vintage has provided a wine of significant depth. The 1999 Chardonnay continues the theme established by the 1996, and in our opinion, surpasses it both in terms of intensity and complexity. In a glass, the wine looks rich and enticing. The vibrant glow of white gold and green suggests richness. Hazelnuts, oatmeal, fig and white peach meld with the oak and "dirt" to provide an intoxicating aroma. Creamy and intense with lingering spicy oak, the core flavours of white peach and oatmeal build and build on the palate. As is the custom, the oak character is perceptible at this stage, however the sheer explosive intensity of the wine will in time ensure complete harmony.
2000 CHARDONNAY
Straw gold and brilliant flashes of green. Exotic, stunning and hedonistic elements rise from the glass; meal, hazelnuts, �dirt�, white peach and nectarine brushed with delicious spicy, savoury oak. Take your time and allow your olfactory senses to indulge in this unbelievably complex aromatic elixir.
A texturally rich entry that melts like warm butter cream in the mouth. Stone fruits, meal, roasted nuts flit in and out with a myriad of other flavours that words simply cannot do justice to. Concentrated, powerful but neither heavy nor cloying. Oak is judged to perfection and the taut spine of acid and mineral notes teases the flavours to the back of the palate.
2001 CHARDONNAY
The 2001 has all the hallmarks of another fine Giaconda Chardonnay. Year in year out the consistency of this wine continues to amaze me. Once again the craftsmanship of Rick Kinzbrunner is clearly evident. It looks and smells like a wine of depth and complexity: straw gold with flashes of green; on the bouquet grilled nuts, the customary 'dirt', stone fruit, wheat and spicy notes from the oak herald a wine of breeding.
The palate is certainly grand with intensity and power encased in a tight frame of acidity. Lingering mineral notes remind me of the 1992 Chardonnay. Oak plays a supporting role but the sheer depth of fruit swarms all over the oak. As with past vintages, the palate is a combination of wheat, spice and stonefruits wrapped in a creamy texture. The synergy between vineyard and the maker is clearly evident. Another superb Giaconda Chardonnay.
2002 CHARDONNAY
Mature vines, many now 20 years old, a stellar vintage and even more focused wine making have conspired to produce the most compelling Giaconda chardonnay to date. The 2002 vintage conditions produced grapes with intense flavours and extraordinarily balanced acidity.
Straw gold with a strong green tinge - plenty of depth in the colour.
Evolving complexity with a rollercoaster of aromas: grapefruit, nectarine, initially cashews and as it opens, meal, hazelnuts, spicy oak notes and a tincture of Giaconda funky dirt rising through the fruit. The more you explore the bouquet the more that is revealed and the harder it is to describe.
Amazing concentration is the first impression, rich, tight and long. The palate is creamy textured and the myriad of complex flavours are precisely layered to maintain fluency. Tingling acidity and spicy oak notes provide the pillars that support the powerful grapefruit and nectarine fruit. The wild funky notes are discretely hiding in the background.
As for the future, the 2002 chardonnay will stride past 10 years without raising a single bead of sweat.
When I first scribbled my notes I simply wrote: In keeping with the bouquet, too powerful, too complex and too interwoven to pull apart and describe. Perhaps it's best left to the imagination and senses of those who love Giaconda chardonnay to tell their own story.
2004 CHARDONNAY
Racy yet very textural. Powerful nose with an interesting combination of fruit and mineral whilst the palate has extreme impact and focus. Signature Giaconda flavours of meal and hazelnut, great length and balance. This is all about concentration with great finesse. Don't miss this as it should turn out to be a real classic.
2005 CHARDONNAY
A great follow on to '04, extremely lifted nose with powerful fruit balancing the mineral and meal characters. A classically rich palate, has great focus with the minerality keeping the wine fine and drawing it out. This should develop into one of our great chardonnays as the '05 vintage produced fruit of extraordinary quality. In fact I haven't felt as confident about the chardonnay since the 1996.
2006 ESTATE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY
The nose is typically Giaconda, minerals, meal, hazelnuts and matchstick with underlying aromatic fruit lift. The power in the nose follows through to the palate, showing richness and complexity, moving to an intense texture and lingering minerality on the finish. This is in the powerful end of the spectrum, although it still retains a tight racy backbone.
2007 ESTATE & NANTUA VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY
This is the only white wine that will be released from the 2007 vintage. Due to the limited quantities produced we have decided to blend the Chardonnay from the Estate Vineyard and Nantua Vineyard together with the Aeolia (Roussanne). It is 89% Chardonnay and 11% Roussanne
Interesting aromas of meal, melon and matchstick with underlying hints of jasmine from the small Roussanne component. Generous fruit on the palate, however still tight with a backbone of minerality and balancing acidity. Long stylish finish with the ability to develop complexity in the classic Giaconda style. (Bottled with screwcap closures).
2008 ESTATE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY
The nose has typical Giaconda characters � hints of meal; matchstick and minerals with overtones of toasty oak. The 2008 while slightly more refined and elegant (due to earlier picking in cooler conditions) combines all the best aspects of the 04; 05 and 06 vintages and still maintains the length and power on the finish which is a Giaconda hallmark. This could be the most refined Giaconda Chardonnay for years, but still embodies the usual drive and power..
Recent Release Tasting Notes
Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay
The next release, 2012 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, will be available for purchase through this website from 1st November 2013.
Our Estate Vineyard Chardonnay is planted on the cooler south facing exposure. The wine is fully barrel fermented with approximately 30% new French oak and allowed to go through Malolactic fermentation, which adds more complexity and structure. This wine is aged in barrel for 22 months, deep underground in our granite maturation cave.
2012 Barrel Tasting notes: A further example of power and concentration. This wine is developing excellent depth and complexity. The nose is showing usual characters of matchstick and meal with funky classic Chardonnay peach fruit. The palate is balanced, with good richness, acidity and persistence. Slightly richer than the 2010 & 11 at this stage. With further barrel maturation this wine should realise its potential to become a future classic - following on from the success of recent vintages.
2011 Tasting notes: Once again, recent tastings have have exceeded my expectations. A signature nose of matchstick and meal with powerful underlying minerality. Like 2010 this wine reflects many characters from some of best vintages of the 90s. A very powerful palate, tight and racy. Wonderfully subtle fruit, well integrated with complex secondary characters, fine acidity and great length. This wine will develop into a real classic, quite in the style of traditional Burgundy. This wine will have great longevity - especially under screwcap closure.
There has been some discussion in the wine press recently regarding 'what is true minerality.' This wine should help those who taste it understand!
2010 Tasting notes: Our first Chardonnay completely fermented and aged underground in our cave. This means a slower and more even ageing process, combined with the cooler season this has resulted in a wine with very long ageing potential. The wine has a signature nose of matchstick and meal with powerful underlying minerality. While similar in style to 2008 this wine is a little more racy with slightly less oak showing at this stage. The palate is highly refined and harks back to some of our best vintages from the 90s. The fruit is powerful but very well integrated with the other components.
2008 Tasting notes: The nose has typical Giaconda characters with hints of meal; matchstick and minerals with overtones of toasty oak. The 2008 while slightly more refined and elegant (due to earlier picking in cooler conditions) combines all the best aspects of the 04; 05 and 06 vintages and still maintains the length and power on the finish which is a Giaconda hallmark. This could be the most refined Giaconda Chardonnay for years, but still embodies the usual drive and power.
Variety: Chardonnay
Alcohol: 13.0%
Closure: Cork or screwcap
Cellaring: 5-15 years aging potential
Availability: Web sales open 1st November 2013
1999 CHARDONNAY
A perfect growing season and vintage has provided a wine of significant depth. The 1999 Chardonnay continues the theme established by the 1996, and in our opinion, surpasses it both in terms of intensity and complexity. In a glass, the wine looks rich and enticing. The vibrant glow of white gold and green suggests richness. Hazelnuts, oatmeal, fig and white peach meld with the oak and "dirt" to provide an intoxicating aroma. Creamy and intense with lingering spicy oak, the core flavours of white peach and oatmeal build and build on the palate. As is the custom, the oak character is perceptible at this stage, however the sheer explosive intensity of the wine will in time ensure complete harmony.
2000 CHARDONNAY
Straw gold and brilliant flashes of green. Exotic, stunning and hedonistic elements rise from the glass; meal, hazelnuts, �dirt�, white peach and nectarine brushed with delicious spicy, savoury oak. Take your time and allow your olfactory senses to indulge in this unbelievably complex aromatic elixir.
A texturally rich entry that melts like warm butter cream in the mouth. Stone fruits, meal, roasted nuts flit in and out with a myriad of other flavours that words simply cannot do justice to. Concentrated, powerful but neither heavy nor cloying. Oak is judged to perfection and the taut spine of acid and mineral notes teases the flavours to the back of the palate.
2001 CHARDONNAY
The 2001 has all the hallmarks of another fine Giaconda Chardonnay. Year in year out the consistency of this wine continues to amaze me. Once again the craftsmanship of Rick Kinzbrunner is clearly evident. It looks and smells like a wine of depth and complexity: straw gold with flashes of green; on the bouquet grilled nuts, the customary 'dirt', stone fruit, wheat and spicy notes from the oak herald a wine of breeding.
The palate is certainly grand with intensity and power encased in a tight frame of acidity. Lingering mineral notes remind me of the 1992 Chardonnay. Oak plays a supporting role but the sheer depth of fruit swarms all over the oak. As with past vintages, the palate is a combination of wheat, spice and stonefruits wrapped in a creamy texture. The synergy between vineyard and the maker is clearly evident. Another superb Giaconda Chardonnay.
2002 CHARDONNAY
Mature vines, many now 20 years old, a stellar vintage and even more focused wine making have conspired to produce the most compelling Giaconda chardonnay to date. The 2002 vintage conditions produced grapes with intense flavours and extraordinarily balanced acidity.
Straw gold with a strong green tinge - plenty of depth in the colour.
Evolving complexity with a rollercoaster of aromas: grapefruit, nectarine, initially cashews and as it opens, meal, hazelnuts, spicy oak notes and a tincture of Giaconda funky dirt rising through the fruit. The more you explore the bouquet the more that is revealed and the harder it is to describe.
Amazing concentration is the first impression, rich, tight and long. The palate is creamy textured and the myriad of complex flavours are precisely layered to maintain fluency. Tingling acidity and spicy oak notes provide the pillars that support the powerful grapefruit and nectarine fruit. The wild funky notes are discretely hiding in the background.
As for the future, the 2002 chardonnay will stride past 10 years without raising a single bead of sweat.
When I first scribbled my notes I simply wrote: In keeping with the bouquet, too powerful, too complex and too interwoven to pull apart and describe. Perhaps it's best left to the imagination and senses of those who love Giaconda chardonnay to tell their own story.
2004 CHARDONNAY
Racy yet very textural. Powerful nose with an interesting combination of fruit and mineral whilst the palate has extreme impact and focus. Signature Giaconda flavours of meal and hazelnut, great length and balance. This is all about concentration with great finesse. Don't miss this as it should turn out to be a real classic.
2005 CHARDONNAY
A great follow on to '04, extremely lifted nose with powerful fruit balancing the mineral and meal characters. A classically rich palate, has great focus with the minerality keeping the wine fine and drawing it out. This should develop into one of our great chardonnays as the '05 vintage produced fruit of extraordinary quality. In fact I haven't felt as confident about the chardonnay since the 1996.
2006 ESTATE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY
The nose is typically Giaconda, minerals, meal, hazelnuts and matchstick with underlying aromatic fruit lift. The power in the nose follows through to the palate, showing richness and complexity, moving to an intense texture and lingering minerality on the finish. This is in the powerful end of the spectrum, although it still retains a tight racy backbone.
2007 ESTATE & NANTUA VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY
This is the only white wine that will be released from the 2007 vintage. Due to the limited quantities produced we have decided to blend the Chardonnay from the Estate Vineyard and Nantua Vineyard together with the Aeolia (Roussanne). It is 89% Chardonnay and 11% Roussanne
Interesting aromas of meal, melon and matchstick with underlying hints of jasmine from the small Roussanne component. Generous fruit on the palate, however still tight with a backbone of minerality and balancing acidity. Long stylish finish with the ability to develop complexity in the classic Giaconda style. (Bottled with screwcap closures).
2008 ESTATE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY
The nose has typical Giaconda characters � hints of meal; matchstick and minerals with overtones of toasty oak. The 2008 while slightly more refined and elegant (due to earlier picking in cooler conditions) combines all the best aspects of the 04; 05 and 06 vintages and still maintains the length and power on the finish which is a Giaconda hallmark. This could be the most refined Giaconda Chardonnay for years, but still embodies the usual drive and power..
Recent Release Tasting Notes
Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay
The next release, 2012 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, will be available for purchase through this website from 1st November 2013.
Our Estate Vineyard Chardonnay is planted on the cooler south facing exposure. The wine is fully barrel fermented with approximately 30% new French oak and allowed to go through Malolactic fermentation, which adds more complexity and structure. This wine is aged in barrel for 22 months, deep underground in our granite maturation cave.
2012 Barrel Tasting notes: A further example of power and concentration. This wine is developing excellent depth and complexity. The nose is showing usual characters of matchstick and meal with funky classic Chardonnay peach fruit. The palate is balanced, with good richness, acidity and persistence. Slightly richer than the 2010 & 11 at this stage. With further barrel maturation this wine should realise its potential to become a future classic - following on from the success of recent vintages.
2011 Tasting notes: Once again, recent tastings have have exceeded my expectations. A signature nose of matchstick and meal with powerful underlying minerality. Like 2010 this wine reflects many characters from some of best vintages of the 90s. A very powerful palate, tight and racy. Wonderfully subtle fruit, well integrated with complex secondary characters, fine acidity and great length. This wine will develop into a real classic, quite in the style of traditional Burgundy. This wine will have great longevity - especially under screwcap closure.
There has been some discussion in the wine press recently regarding 'what is true minerality.' This wine should help those who taste it understand!
2010 Tasting notes: Our first Chardonnay completely fermented and aged underground in our cave. This means a slower and more even ageing process, combined with the cooler season this has resulted in a wine with very long ageing potential. The wine has a signature nose of matchstick and meal with powerful underlying minerality. While similar in style to 2008 this wine is a little more racy with slightly less oak showing at this stage. The palate is highly refined and harks back to some of our best vintages from the 90s. The fruit is powerful but very well integrated with the other components.
2008 Tasting notes: The nose has typical Giaconda characters with hints of meal; matchstick and minerals with overtones of toasty oak. The 2008 while slightly more refined and elegant (due to earlier picking in cooler conditions) combines all the best aspects of the 04; 05 and 06 vintages and still maintains the length and power on the finish which is a Giaconda hallmark. This could be the most refined Giaconda Chardonnay for years, but still embodies the usual drive and power.
Variety: Chardonnay
Alcohol: 13.0%
Closure: Cork or screwcap
Cellaring: 5-15 years aging potential
Availability: Web sales open 1st November 2013