2023 Giaconda Estate Roussanne, Beechworth

A grape transformed, roussanne sets its own course deep into serious wine territory under the guidance of Rick and Nathan Kinzbrunner. The fuller-bodied variety requires full ripeness and it gets it, eliciting scents embracing the floral and the rich in apricot, yellow peach, citrus, baked pear and spice with a whisper of green almond. Complexity ensues on a palate that is texturally inviting, like crushed velvet on the tongue. Roussanne brings base notes in beeswax, canelé, apple and Asian pear lifted by higher-pitched florals, including the herbal with a lingering savoury, waxy note. Moves with ease against a backbone of fresh-cut acid with a hint of tannic grip. Magical.

96 points Jeni Port winecompanion.com.au

The 2023 Estate Vineyard Roussanne leads with white and yellow flowers, lanolin, churned butter and soft pear jalousie. In the mouth, the chalky phenolic shape pulls the fruit on course, and this is assisted by the splay of saline acidity through the middle palate and finish. While this has a tropical aroma about it, the palate tells a different story. A beautiful follow-on from last year's iteration, this is a little tighter and a little more focused. 13.8% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

95 points Erin Larkin robertparker.com

Giaconda Estate Roussanne from Beechworth is one of Australia’s rarest and most fascinating white wines, a cult bottling from Rick Kinzbrunner that combines Rhône-like depth with the tension and minerality of Beechworth’s granite slopes. The Estate vineyard sits high in the foothills of the Victorian Alps where poor granitic soils and brisk mountain winds limit yields and intensify flavour. Roussanne is famously tricky in the vineyard, but when grown with Giaconda’s rigor, hand harvested at perfect ripeness and wild fermented in barrel before extensive ageing on lees in French oak, it becomes something extraordinary: textural, savoury and totally unique in the Australian wine landscape.

The nose is breathtakingly layered with ripe pear, white peach and apricot skin wrapped in notes of toasted almond, sage, honeysuckle and beeswax. As air works through the glass, deeper savoury tones emerge: wild herbs, lanolin, wet stones and a gentle smoky flintiness drawn straight from Beechworth’s granite. There is richness here, but also a cool alpine clarity that keeps everything poised.

On the palate it is powerful yet disciplined. Stone fruit, pear and quince flavours move across a concentrated, silk textured frame, supported by beautifully integrated oak. Subtle spice, crushed fennel seed and creamy lees complexity build in slow, unfolding layers. A pristine line of acidity and mineral drive pulls the wine long, finishing with remarkable persistence and a savoury grip that promises many years of evolution. With cellar time it gains truffle, honeycomb, brioche and marzipan while retaining its structure and freshness.

A superb partner for lobster thermidor, roast chicken with tarragon, saffron seafood dishes, cheese soufflé, wild mushrooms or aged Comté. It is a white to savour slowly, with the depth and gravitas of a fine red.