Giaconda: The Wizard of Beechworth Chardonnay How one reclusive winemaker built Australia’s white wine legend, hidden in the hills.

Some wineries are defined by marketing. Giaconda is defined by myth. Rick Kinzbrunner, the mechanical engineer turned winemaking savant, didn’t set out to create a cult—he set out to make the best Chardonnay in the southern hemisphere. What he achieved is something rarer: a global benchmark that’s won critical acclaim, international awards, and a place in the pantheon of the world’s greatest whites.

1. The Beginning of the Spell (1980s)

After studying mechanical engineering and working in the automotive industry, Kinzbrunner’s love for wine led him abroad. He apprenticed in Napa, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Oregon, absorbing techniques from some of the most celebrated wineries. Returning to Australia in the early 1980s, he sought a site with the potential to produce wines of global standing.

He found it in Beechworth, a historic gold-mining town in northeast Victoria, surrounded by the rolling foothills of the Victorian Alps. Sitting at around 400–460 metres above sea level, the area’s cool nights, warm days, and decomposed granite soils create a unique microclimate. Its combination of altitude and soil drains well, concentrates flavour, and preserves acidity—conditions Kinzbrunner recognised as ideal for crafting world-class Chardonnay.

In 1982, he planted the vineyard, setting the stage for a new chapter in Australian fine wine. By the late 1980s, Giaconda’s Chardonnay was already turning heads. In 1991, it was named White Wine of the Year by James Halliday, launching it onto the national stage. The accolades kept coming: consistent 96–99 point scores, spots in Langton’s “Exceptional” Classification, and international recognition from critics like Jancis Robinson and Wine Spectator.

2. The Icons of the Cellar

• Giaconda Chardonnay: Rich but restrained, with citrus oil, flint, hazelnut, and a line of minerality that feels carved from stone. Ages for decades and routinely considered one of the best Chardonnays outside Burgundy.
• Pinot Noir: Rare and perfumed—less than 500 cases in many vintages. Silky, earthy, and fiercely allocated.
• Shiraz: Old-world Syrah style—spicy, savory, and more Côte-Rôtie than Barossa blockbuster.
• Nantua Les Deux (Chardonnay blend): A more approachable, yet still serious, expression of Rick’s touch.

3. The Winemaking Philosophy

Kinzbrunner’s methods are rooted in precision and patience. Low yields, minimal intervention, wild ferments, and gravity-flow cellar work define his approach. Fermentation takes place in French oak (often 30–40% new), followed by extended lees contact for texture and complexity. The wines mature in a subterranean barrel cave blasted directly into the granite hillside—a literal temple to Chardonnay.

Kinzbrunner’s mantra has been consistency, with a clear refusal to chase trends. His Chardonnay is as structured and mineral-driven today as it was 30 years ago, evolving slowly and beautifully in bottle.

4. Awards, Accolades, and the Legend of Scarcity

Production is tiny, demand is frenzied, and every release sells out in minutes. Giaconda’s Chardonnay has topped blind tastings against Burgundy’s elite, won Best Chardonnay trophies at capital city wine shows, and featured in the Wine Advocate’s highest-rated Australian whites. Its position in Langton’s “Exceptional” tier is matched only by a handful of other wines in the country.

Auction prices reflect the scarcity: back vintages command hundreds of dollars per bottle, sometimes more. For collectors, it’s a blue-chip asset; for drinkers, a rare indulgence.

Liber’s Bottom Line

Giaconda isn’t about volume or flash—it’s about place, patience, and one man’s refusal to dilute his vision. Beechworth’s granite slopes and cool climate give these wines a signature that’s impossible to replicate. Rick Kinzbrunner’s wines taste like the landscape they come from: pure, enduring, and sculpted by time.

If you want to taste Australian Chardonnay at its absolute pinnacle, start here—and if you’re lucky enough to find a bottle, you’ll understand why the world keeps calling Rick the wizard in the hills.

Salute.