Beechworth Estate Vineyard Chardonnay

Description :

Winemaker: Rick and Nathan Kinzbrunner
GI: Beechworth
Site(s): Estate Vineyard
Vineyard notes: The estate chardonnay vineyard was first planted in 1980. The site is 400m in elevation, granitic loam over decomposed clay and gravel. The chardonnay plot is southfacing, sheltered from the direct impact of the sun's rays, resulting in a slower ripening period, greater flavor complexity and natural acidity levels. Giaconda has been practicing organic, biodynamic, and regenerative viticulture since the early 1990s; they will be certified starting in the 2021 vintage.
Winemaking: The winemaking process for all Giaconda wines are "hand-crafted according to basically a natural wine making process". To them, this means that indigenous yeasts are employed for fermentation, natural bacteria for malolactic fermentation, French oak barrel ageing, minimal sulphur additions, and no filtration before bottling. The winery, barrel maturation cave, and bottling facility are all set up for gravity flow. For the Estate Chardonnay, the fruit is hand picked, lightly crushed and then basket pressed before being transferred to French oak barrels (approximately 30% new) for fermentation and ageing. The wine is aged for almost two years, deep underground in their granite maturation cave. This cave offers optimal conditions for fermentation and ageing with a stable temperature of 16º C and naturally high humidity all year round.