Giaconda Chardonnay Vertical.

[Rory]

My turn to put on the theme for our little offline group that includes forumites Chris H, Neville K, Sanjay, Anthony and Pau. I invited ex Dromana Estate winemaker Judy Gifford to fill an empty chair.
The night was held at Vin Cellars in High St Prahran and owner Damien did an excellent kob in setting up for us. The food was great, as was the service.
Rick Kinzbrunner went way beyond the call of duty when, not being able to make it to the dinner himself, sent a bottle of '96 Chardonnay down and a yet to be released '03 Nantua "les Deaux", as well as vintage notes for each wine. Thanks Rick ,very kind.

It has to be said, that the great outcome out of this tasting, apart from the wine itself, was that I now get to re-arrange the vintages in my cellar into a more coherant ageing order, something of which I had no idea of beforehand. I was ready to drink them has the came. Not any more.

For the sake of this tasting, I have reverted to a five star rating, five being the highest and reflecting a perfect example of this Chardonnay. It would need to be said that any one of these wines on their own on any night is going to rate as excellent, such was the quality.

Started with the '03 Nantua Chardonnay/Roussanne.
Having had the '02 only two months ago I was in a good position to compare the two, as the '03 has less Roussanne (only 5%) than the '02. And it shows. Great clarity and intensity of chardonnay fruit, slightly rounded out by the rousanne, whereas the '02 was a disstinctly "fatter" wine. All liked it. Beautifully made .

The Chardonnays all have a couple of things in commen, that sets them apart from many Oz Chardonnays, and that is:

1. Evident wonderfull structure,
2. Ability to age,
3. No obvious oak, it's there, but it's so well controlled, it's playing a supporting role right from the start. It's not something you're waiting for to dissapear or soak up the fruit with age.

'02 Chardonnay.
Tight citrus nose/steely. Suprisingly full palate & mouthfeel, given it's youth. Great acid backbone, great length, pristine fruit of incredible intensity, that although quite a full palate, still somehow manages be wonderfully elegant (!?!) Amazing wine, the second time I've tasted it, and it just gets better. Equal WOTN, this will go on to be an absolute winner! Ageing: 8 - 12 years+ 5 Stars

'01 Chardonnay.
Powerfull nose, not forced, but strong.
Attractive, more obvious than the '02, but a beautifull wine reflecting the warmer vintage. Broader peach flavours, great length and yet again, great acid backbone. Ageing 6-8 years.
4 Stars.

'00 Chardonnay.

Wow!
What a nose, such a departure from the previous two and so un-Australian! Sweaty/savoury/nutty with sweet fruit edges. Searing acidity on the palate with minerality and cashew nut nuances to the powerfull yet refined finish. Goes on forever, an absolute ripper! Ageing 5 years. 5 Stars. Ranked second in group order.

'99 Chardonnay.
Tight nose showing some minerality, but not yeilding much. Quite fruit sweet on the palate and still with acid backbone. Quite reserved and steely, will be long lived, but won't reach the heights of the '02. Ageing 6-8 years+. 4 Stars.

'98 Chardonnay.
Corked, bugger!. But some in the group felt that there still seemed to be some very good, more overt fruit fruit than normal shining through the muskines.

'97 Chardonnay.
Unyielding nose but elegant and refined/restrained for a seven year old wine. Again on the palate, still restrained. It seemed to lack the intensity of the other vintages, which made some in the group question cork integrity again (albeit in a much lesser degree). Ageing Now - 5years. 3 1/2 stars.

'96 Chardonnay.
This is the secong time this group had had this wine in six months, and the question could seriously be asked, is this Australias best ever Chardonnay? "A freak!" was one tasters opinion.
Sit's comfortably on a world level.
The nose has savoury/mineral notes with some development, but still supremely elegant. Still some citrus acid on the palate, great structure, stone friut, but not too sweet. Awsome length, still intense power.
A jaw dropping, gob smaking experience of a wine. 5-8 years +. 5 Stars. Equal WOTN (it was WOTN last time too!)


I can now go into my cellar, look at my Giaconda Chardonnays and not suffer anxiety attacks about how they are and how they will age.

Now I just drool!

Rory

[sanjay]

Thanks Rory for a wonderful night. Our groups affinity for burgundian varieties is easily seen with cghardonnay and pinots based tastings popping up more than other varieties: previous theme (Neville's tasting -Pinot and chardonnay) and the next Theme (Pinots).

Giaconda reigns supreme and this tasting confirmed that without a shadow of doubt.

For me the 1996 and and 2002 were the highlights. Both were heralded vintages.

The 1996 Giaconda showed tremendous balance and poise. The complexity was beguiling. The wine was ever so young and fresh inspite of its age. It will clearly last another 10 years (i.e. properly cellared bottles - this was Rick K's bottle!) and add significant more complexity. It will clearly be a treat to drink in 10 years. At next vertical perhaps...

The 2000 Giaconda came a close second. Its a monumental wine! The only reason it came a close second behind the 1996 was it lacked age. The intensity of fruit and the power it packed in each sip was enough to knock one off the table. But this was not raw brutal power. It was harnessed into a taut structure of acid and oak. I am glad I have some of this in my cellar.

The 2000 Giaconda and the 2001 Giaconda were more forward wines. They had the undeniable stamp of Giaconda but had added more complexity in their youth. If I had to drink any Giaconda right now (or over the next few years) then I will rank the 2000 as the best suited for that purpose. The finish and the mouth feel is so enticing that it is hard to resist. 2001 Giaconda was in the same mould but not in the the same league - a fraction less- but a fantastic drink nevertheless.

The 1997 and 1999 were lesser vintages in the Giaconda context, especially when tasted alongside the 1996 and 2002. But on their own they would have probably stood up quite well against other benchmark chardonnays. The 1998 was corked- subtly to some and bloody obviously to others.

Great night. Great friends. Great wine. Great food. What else can someone possibly want?


Sanjay

[Anthony]

Yep, have to agree was a fantastic night and a big thanks to Rory for putting on the wines.

For me, the 02 and 96 were the absolute standouts. They would matchup with any top-line chardonnay's around the world.

Rick makes his wines basically exactly the same every year, so what we were seeing in this vertical was the different vintage conditions and there effect on the wine.

If only I didn't have to drive

cheers
anthony