This year I have to start with the bad news regarding the 2007 vintage – as I warned you in last year’s newsletter we suffered from some serious spring frosts. As I feared at the time this has dramatically reduced the quantity of the 07 vintage wines. We picked no Cabernet at all, a tiny quantity of Pinot Noir, a very small crop of Shiraz and about a third of our normal quantity of Chardonnay. Firstly regarding the Chardonnay we are very happy with the quality, but highly disappointed with the quantity. As for the Shiraz we are not so happy with the quality, as quite apart from the frost there was the prolonged severe drought and as a consequence of this we suffered (as many others in Victoria) bush fires over a large part of summer. At this stage we don’t intend to release 2007 Shiraz because of the above factors.

We saved a good portion of our irrigation water for the Chardonnay and this enabled us to produce a good quality wine.

As for the Pinot Noir I was able to source some good quality fruit from a well known Geelong vineyard and also some from a very high quality Yarra Valley vineyard. Thus the 2007 Giaconda Pinot Noir will be a Geelong/Yarra Valley blend with a tiny quantity of our own Beechworth fruit. We are very happy with the result of this, but are not selling it en primeur this year, so you will have to wait till next November’s release for tasting notes. Interestingly I am considering making this a regular feature – sourcing some good southern Victorian Pinot Noir fruit each year

Therefore due to the limited quantity of wine from the 2007 vintage, there will be no en primeur offer this year. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir will be released next November along with the 2008 vintage en primeur offer.

We have had some great reviews again this year (see Robert Parker reviews below) and many of you will have seen the great review of the 2005 Pinot Noir in Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine – best wine of a very large tasting of Australian and New Zealand Pinots’

As some of you may know I like to travel to France for an extended period each year and on these trips I have been having some discussions with a high profile French winery with regard to doing a joint venture here in Australia at Beechworth – more news on this a bit later!

So far things look good for the 2008 vintage; we haven’t had any frosts yet, though we are not completely out of danger for a few more weeks. The dam is full, contrary to last year when we started summer with only a tiny quantity of water. Spring has been about average and we have not suffered an early bud burst as in quite a few of the most recent years.

As usual I would urge you not to delay in ordering, even more so this year, as the remaining 2006 quantities are not large. However, we do endeavour to spread the wine around to as many customers as possible.

Again thank you for your past support.

Regards,

TASTING NOTES

2006 Chardonnay

The nose is almost extreme, minerals, meal and hazelnuts with underlying aromatic fruit lift. The power in the nose follows through to the palate, showing richness and complexity, moving to a creamy texture and lingering minerality on the finish. This is in the powerful end of the spectrum, akin to a vintage such as 2000 which has now evolved beautifully.    ...RK

2006 Pinot Noir

Fragrant nose; black fruits and sappy pinot gamey characters. Fresh, clean and pure. Firm palate structure, spicy flavours with balancing tannins and acidity. A multi layered palate, powerful and structured, but still light on its feet. Great backbone, abundant firm but fine tannins. This seems to have the potential to be one of our best pinots for some years.   ...RK

2006 Warner Vineyard Shiraz

Very Rhone-like nose, exhibiting what seems to be evolving as our signature nose of charcuterie, graphite and brambles. This has real depth of aroma. Fine palate, fresh spicy rich shiraz fruit characters. Underlying power emerging; finishing with balanced firm, fine tannins. A great follow on to the 2005, properly stored this should last for decades. Recommended..     ...RK

2006 Cabernet

Highly definitive cabernet nose, cabernet leaf and cedar. The palate is incredibly complete with rich fruit sweetness followed by powerful cutting tannins. Merlot and cabernet franc are a little less obvious this year, though hints of their softness and sweet fruit sit in the background. Recommended for serious cabernet lovers.   ...RK

Robert Parkers's Wine Advocate

Giaconda

I can’t say enough about winemaker Rick Kinzbrunner’s efforts at this winery, which is one of Victoria’s reference point estates. Concentrating on just a few wines, Giaconda produces stunning, individualistic cuvees that combine classic French winemaking with beautiful Australian fruit. They all possess good aging portential, especially the top Chardonnay and Shiraz.

The brilliant 2005 Chardonnay Nantua Vineyard includes approximately 7% Roussanne. It was aged in 30% new oak, and saw 100% malolactic fermentation. The result is an exotic bouquet of rose water interwoven with tropical fruit, lemon oil, peach, and apricots. Rich with good acidity, well-integrated wood, and a blockbuster finish, this impressive Chardonnay should drink well for 2-3 years.

One of the finest Australian Chardonnays I have ever tasted is Giaconda’s 2004 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard. Aged 18 months in French oak (50% new, 100% Sirugue barrels), it tastes like a grand cru from Puligny-Montrachet. Steely lemon oil, popcorn, buttered hazelnut, and subtle smoke scents emerge from the glass of this intense, full-bodied Chardonnay that is bursting with character and soul. This amazing effort must be tasted to be believed.

My favorite example of Australian Roussanne is Giaconda’s Aeolia. The 2005 Roussanne Aeolia’s stunning perfume smells like a flower garden in full bloom. The floral component is backed up by notes of honeysuckle and rich tropical fruit. Long, heady, intense, and juicy, this succulent wine sees about 10-15% new oak, and spends 11 months in barrel before bottling. Drink it over the next several years.

Lastly, the dark ruby/purple-tinged 2004 Shiraz Warner Vineyard (98% Shiraz and 2% Roussanne) exhibits beautiful blackberry fruit intermixed with hints of graphite, smoked herbs, tapenade, and spicy vanillin. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, and backward, this impressive offering spent 20 months in barrel (60% new French), and it should age nicely for 7-10 years.