Giaconda vineyard was established by Rick Kinzbrunner, a mechanical engineer who became interested in wine in the early 1970's. Rick then spent the next ten years working in the industry, travelling and following his passion for wine. After a brief stint in New Zealand, he studied at Davis University in California and worked at some of the most respected wineries in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys (namely Stag's Leap, Simi and Matanzas Creek). In Europe he worked for the Moueix group in Bordeaux, co-owner of the fabled Chateau Petrus.

Roasted chestnuts, rose petal, forest floor undergrowth, dark orange chocolate and tar. A combination of Amphorae and geriatric oak have been used for Élevage. Scintillating tannins compliment the pristine fruit. A truly magnificent wine achieved through a lot of hard work and years of observation and persistence to bring the magic of quintessential Nebbiolo alive!

Offers power and grace with truly beautiful perfume and aromatics. They are a feature of the wine, so too some of the firmest tannins in the business. I gave the wine four hours and a decent decant before a reveal. The scent beguiles in aromatic rose, pressed flowers, cranberry, cherry, violet and winter herbs. This is a youngster in nebbiolo terms and, while the structure is set, it will take its own time for the rest like a true nebbiolo: red fruits, rosehip, anise, dusty cocoa, earth and gentle woodsmoke before a rousing long finish dressed in amaro and bitter-sweet herbs. A wine for tomorrow rather than today. Date: Mar 2023; Alcohol: 14.5%; Drink by: 2043.; Rating: 97 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion

Red cherry, a distinct almond paste character here, which I love, dried roses, a little spice, liquorice root, and above all, such perfume. It’s medium to full-bodied, red fruits and almond, some fragrant black tea, a distinctly ‘mineral’ feel to acidity gives it a finely etched feel, tannin has a pumice stone texture and grip, though while it’s assertive it sits very well in the wine. It’s quite stony too, and the finish is very long and precise, a subtle orange peel flavour in the aftertaste. Textbook Nebbiolo here. It’s superb. Date: Mar 2025; Alcohol: 14.5%; Closure: Cork; Drink: 2027-2037+; Rated: 96 Points; Gary Walsh; The Wine Front