2021 Giaconda Shiraz, Beechworth

Deep colour with a trace of purple, and the bouquet has vegetal/spice aromas allied with cedary oak and raspberry to red plum flavours. Spicy overtones are clean and ripe and add attractive detail to the wine. It's full-bodied and rich, with rounded, supple tannins and a very long carry. A superb cool-climate style of shiraz. Drink to 2041.

96 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, November 2023

Giaconda is one of Australia’s true cult estates, founded by Rick Kinzbrunner in Beechworth in 1982 after a winemaking journey that took him through California and Europe. While the legendary Chardonnay attracts much of the attention, Giaconda Shiraz is every bit as compelling. From the estate’s granitic hillside vineyards, it shows a distinctly Beechworth expression — fragrant, savoury and powerful without slipping into heavyweight territory.

Beechworth’s warm days, cool nights and decomposed granitic soils are particularly well suited to Shiraz, encouraging full flavour while preserving perfume and acidity. The 2021 vintage was an excellent season in north-east Victoria, producing beautifully balanced fruit with concentration and freshness. Kinzbrunner’s meticulous, traditional approach gives the wine structure and complexity while allowing the vineyard’s distinctive earthy, spicy character to lead.

Deep crimson with purple-black highlights, the nose opens with blackberry, dark cherry and ripe plum before violet, cracked pepper and liquorice emerge. With air come smoked meat, black olive, graphite and dried mountain herbs. The palate is concentrated yet wonderfully energetic, with dark fruit wrapped in firm, fine-grained tannins. Black pepper, olive tapenade and bitter chocolate build through the middle before a long, savoury finish of spice, herbs and granitic earth.

This wants roast lamb shoulder with rosemary and anchovy, charcoal-grilled rib eye, venison with juniper, beef cheek with parsnip purée or smoky eggplant with lamb kofta. Our pick is the lamb shoulder sticky edges, garlic, rosemary and salty anchovy against Giaconda’s dark fruit and peppery savouriness is Saturday lunch with absolutely nowhere else to be.

Drink from 2027 to 2042+.