Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
A truly stellar wine, The Giaconda Estate Chard is one of Australia's best. This wine, was grown in a stellar year for chardonnay. The excellent growing season created a wine that is gold with a vivid green edge. Subtle aromatics of matchstick, white peach and nectarine combine with waxy lemon peel, wet stones and hazelnuts. A virtual cornucopia of salivating aromas and flavours. The palate has precision with ever present mineral notes that create a lip-smacking, tangy finish. This chardonnay has great tension and nerve – a wine for the purists!
The 2021 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay follows seamlessly from the 2019 vintage, as the 2020 was unable to be produced due to bushfires. The winemaking process remains consistent with previous years: hand-picked grapes, lightly crushed and basket pressed, wild fermentation in oak barrels in the gravity-flow cellar, 18+ months of maturation in French oak (30% new), and 100% malolactic fermentation. At this stage, the 2021 vintage exudes a backwards, flinty quality with an astonishing array of flavors on the palate. Its penetrating character includes nuances of saffron, yellow peach, preserved citrus, red apple skins, brine, crushed shells, and Indian root spice. Though I may be biased towards high-quality oak, it is subtly integrated here and matched by the potency of the fruit. This is an exceptional wine that will only continue to impress in the years to come. In comparison to previous vintages,
