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.

Nantua Range is a blend of premium Giaconda Estate grown and fruit sourced from close neighbouring vineyards. This wine is made using similar methods to the Estate range, with less time in barrel and less new oak. This results in a more fruit-forward style that is ready to drink immediately and does not require long term cellaring. The Nantua Range offers all the Giaconda hallmarks of complexity, palate texture and minerality.

A rather appealing bouquet of baked beets, briary notes and roasted meat pan juices coupled with red to black cherries.  It's sumptuous and rounded on the palate with a rolling combination of red fruits, spicy oak infusions underpinned by a tremendous layer of fine, savoury tannins. It certainly needs decanting to help open-up the bouquet, whilst also allowing the fruit to build up and work with the structural elements of the wine. Hours later, there is a more darker brooding fruit element accompanied by the subtle rise of a “sous bois” note. An absolute beauty that will be at its best in a few years.