Coming Soon - 2023 Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay

Established in 1982 by Rick Kinzbrunner after experience in Napa, Bordeaux, and the King Valley, Giaconda has become one of Australia’s most celebrated boutique estates. The 4-hectare vineyard, now managed with his son Nathan, is certified organic and focused on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, and Nebbiolo. High-altitude granitic soils, excellent winemaking, and ageing in a granite cave deliver wines of extraordinary purity, complexity, and finesse.
Hand-picked, basket-pressed fruit was fermented and aged in French oak (30% new). Completing the La Niña trilogy, the 2023 vintage marries the power of 2021 with the flinty precision of 2022, though with greater subtlety.
Alc. 13.5%

Other Reviews....
The enthralling 2023 Chardonnay Estate presents a more reductive expression from Giaconda. Smoky, gunflint aromas take the lead, set against a background of compact white peach and nectarine, with subtle citrus zest and a healthy serve of French oak. This is a more cerebral expression, with punchy acidity driving a long, laser-like, embryonic palate that is powerful, acid-driven and youthful. The 2023 is exceptional, though it slightly lacks the volume of flavour found in the best vintages. Drink 2035 - 2050.
97 Points
Angus Hughson - Antonio Galloni's Vinous

In challenging Victorian vintages like '23 – cool and wet – the cream rises, quality producers standing up. At Giaconda, we see another stunner of a chardonnay released, a classic work of art that delivers a bouquet of citrus blossom scents with intense Meyer lemon, grapefruit pith, preserved lemon, white peach, nectarine and crushed stone. Has real presence and an immediate sense of concentration. The longer it remains open, the more it reveals, an ongoing treat of complexity in nectarine, peach, toasted almond and gentle spice with a stunning lemon butter-like richness and more, edged in finely laced acidity. Exquisite. Drink 2025-2039.
98 Points
Jeni Port - Halliday's Australian Wine Companion

Despite the infamously difficult 2023 vintage, Giaconda has pulled off another excellent world-class chardonnay. Aromas of lemons, struck match and granite as well as grapefruit peel, lime curd and nectarines. The seamlessly balanced palate shows striking acidity. The creamy, textured mouthfeel finishes with great power and intensity, supported by a salty mineral undertone. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
98 Points
JamesSuckling.com

The 2023 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay leads with an abundance of smoky, nutty, savory reduction. Here, the 2023 feels less exotic and softly spoken than the 2022 tasted alongside, with the 2023 showing more tension and focus. Neither has the extraordinary, otherworldly character of the 2021, also tasted alongside, yet the differences between the three is almost as exciting as having three vintages of Giaconda Chardonnay open at the same time. The 2023 only gets better the longer it is opened, revealing white peach, curry leaf, pink grapefruit acidity, blood orange, coffee grounds, graphite and mustard seeds. What a wine. The sheer intensity of flavor here is astonishing—it penetrates the palate and soars long into the memory. Far from pinching the finish, the reduction provokes a physical response, one that requires more drinking to satiate. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
I recently tasted this wine blind in Burgundy (2022 vintage), and while the wine was immediately recognizable to me, it really showed the specific personality of reduction at this estate, as compared to the others tasted that evening. The comparison was fascinating, in that Giaconda was revealed to be very savory, backed by voluminous, exotic fruit, while the other wines showed more verdancy to their fruit profiles, which in turn influenced the reduction. Fascinating and valuable.
I also tasted this wine as its component parts when I visited the estate in January 2024, and seeing each of the barrels as individuals and then now witnessing the holistic conglomeration of them is very cool. The wine makes more sense to me, and it's infinitely more kaleidoscopic. Drink 2025 - 2043.
98+ Points
Erin Larkin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Available 15 April 2025. Doors open at 8am for the inevitable bun rush. Cool damp years often suit this style, and no change here.
This is a tighter, maybe more refined expression of Giaconda Chardonnay, though it still has all the hallmarks of the estate. Plenty of struck match complexity, pink grapefruit, lemon oil, aniseed, oatmeal, fresh nectarine. It fairly sizzles with spice and cool acidity, plenty of flint and chalk dust texture, a nutty and savoury element here, a juicy citrus tang, dried pear with cinnamon, and closes zesty and electric, with a very very long finish. I can’t always say Giaconda has inherent drinkabilty early on, but this wine kind of does, and in that way, it’s probably my favourite release to date. It has great bone structure and cool vintage complexity. Of course it will cellar so well. It would drink well, I think, with a rabbit pulled out of a hat. Drink 2027 - 2038+
98 Points
Gary Walsh - The Wine Front