Bright straw-green; has the hallmark faintly funky bouquet, and the effortlessly silky, immaculately balanced, and long palate for which Giaconda is rightly revered. No one fruit flavour dominates, all drawn into the spell of the palate, as is the oak. It's perfectly possible to deconstruct a wine such as this, and equally easy to label that process sacrilege. Just revel in its harmony.
97 points, Wine Companion, September 2016
Beechworth
Located in the foothills of the Victorian Alps, Beechworth is a small cool climate region with high continentality. The vineyards enjoy a large number of sunshine hours and are generally planted at altitudes of 400m. A variety of soil types are found with the two dominant ones being ancient sandstone gravel and clay and granitic loams over decomposed gravels and clays. While north or north-easterly slopes are generally favoured, the best sites are located away from higher altitude, cold-air drainage channels, with the risk of frost high in both spring and autumn. Restricted water availability means most vineyards are dry-grown. A region of small boutique producers, Beechworth is best known for premium Chardonnay, Shiraz and Pinot Noir, although plantings of Italian varieties including Sangiovese and Nebbiolo also show great promise.
