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.

Medium pale colour. Intense verbena, musky pear, lychee, yellow peach, pure honey aromas with waxy, slight herb garden notes. A touch of quartz. Wonderfully buoyant and minerally palate with ample yellow peach, ripe musky pear, manuka honey flavours, fine loose knit chalky textures, amazing mid-palate viscosity and fresh long indelible acidity. Some flinty, green-lime, star anise notes emerging at the finish. Luscious and decadent yet controlled and sinuous. It’s like grand cru sauternes without the botrytis and sweetness and foiled against a first class Condrieu. Extraordinary and wonderful. Best to drink early to enjoy the primary fruits. Date: Apr 2026; Drink now – 2034; Rating: 100 Points; Andrew Caillard MW

The wine tastes and smells yellow, though don’t mind me as I’m something of a synaesthete. Aside that, dried mango, gingerbread, aniseed, chamomile, peanut shells, apple and alpine herbs, with a wisp of smokiness. It’s fleshy, waxy and viscous, but has a fine cut of acidity to balance, spicy with a fine chalky grip, ripe lime and pink grapefruit, a peanut richness, with a well-rounded yet fresh finish of terrific length and subtle citrus rind bitterness, which tweaks it so nicely. I was internally (now not so internal, but hey!), tossing up between 95 and 96 points, and landed on the latter score. It’s a benchmark for the variety. This is a beautiful wine. Date: Mar 2026; Alcohol: 13.8%; Drink: 2026 - 2034+; Rating: 96 Points; Gary Walsh; The Wine Front