Giaconda Beechworth Shiraz 2021

Giaconda vineyard was established by Rick Kinzbrunner, a mechanical engineer who became interested in wine in the early 1970's. Rick then spent the next ten years working in the industry, travelling and following his passion for wine. After a brief stint in New Zealand, he studied at Davis University in California and worked at some of the most respected wineries in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys (namely Stag's Leap, Simi and Matanzas Creek). In Europe he worked for the Moueix group in Bordeaux, co-owner of the fabled Chateau Petrus.

After returning to Australia in 1980 to take up a position as assistant winemaker at Brown Brothers in Milawa, Rick purchased land in the nearby Beechworth wine region - at the foothills of the beautiful North-East Victorian Alps. Planting commenced in 1982 and the property is now devoted solely to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. A separate planting of Nebbiolo has also been established close to the Beechworth township at Red Hill. Total area under vines at the Giaconda Estate Vineyard is now 4 hectares. Annual wine production is approximately 2,500 dozen bottles.

There is a theme running through the wine releases from this much anticipated 2021 vintage – power, complexity and refinement. The shiraz shows a superb tannin profile that has put more grunt in the engine and strengthened the chassis for greater endurance. Briar and undergrowth, Chinese five spice, roasted beetroot and raspberry licorice. Richly fruited and exotically spiced with a dynamic tannin structure that will age gracefully. A veritable iron fist in a velvet glove.

This new shiraz wine represents an evolution in our wine making for this variety. This is a combination of wine matured in new and older small French oak, large 1600 LT French oak casks and long maceration on skins (10 months) in Spanish terracotta amphorae. This brings much more complexity and, especially, more depth and tannin from the long maceration. - Rick Kinzbrunner, Winemaker

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Shiraz
Country - Australia
Region - Beechworth, Victoria
Vintage - 2021
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.8%