Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, Giaconda, 2022

Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay is produced from Rick Kinzbrunner’s estate vineyard in Beechworth, Victoria, planted on steep granite-based soils at around 400 metres altitude. The cool elevation and poor soils produce low yields and fruit with naturally high acidity.

The grapes are hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeasts in French oak, followed by extended ageing on lees. Giaconda is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading Chardonnay producers, with wines known for their concentration, mineral structure and long ageing potential.

"The 2022 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay follows hot on the heels of the perfect 2021 release, and in doing so, it has big boots to fill. Aromatically, the wine leads, as all Giaconda Chardonnay's do, with white flowers and notions of campfire and charred gum leaves, cracked white peppercorns and white peach, salt and caper brine. Crushed and salted nuts, enoki mushroom, shaved fennel, torched pink grapefruit ... the cavalcade of flavors march on across the palate. In this season, the wine is altogether more quietly nuanced and placid than the sleek, powerfully focused 2021 vintage. However, in so saying, this wine is balanced and fine, somewhat less overtly reductive (although still imbued with that salivating characteristic), populated by softer-spoken fruit and yet no less sapid or palate staining. It is in the mouth that the pedigree of the wine comes to the fore. The chalky texture and the penetrating intensity of flavor in combination are what make this wine so great, as I see it, and the 2022 vintage provides a gentle framework within which the wine exists. This is a gorgeous, elegant, precise and detailed release of this magnificent wine."
98/100 Erin Larkin, Wine Advocat

• ❖ ABV: 13.5%