Castle Rock Estate has released its new vintage wines comprising 2021 Castle Rock Estate Pinot Noir ($40), 2022 Castle Rock Estate Riesling ($30) and 2022 Castle Rock Estate ‘Skywalk’ Riesling ($25).
“At Castle Rock Estate our philosophy is that ‘Fruit is King’ and therefore our role is to showcase our fruit’s purest expression of where it is grown,” says Winemaker Rob Diletti. “Riesling and Pinot Noir are two varieties recognised for their ability to convey terroir due to their delicate but structured nature. We believe that our site is quite unique, and therefore these two varieties are ideal in showcasing our terroir.
“With our Pinot Noir we follow traditional winemaking methods such as the use of oak barrels, whole bunch fermentations, and extended maceration to build complexity and structure, but never at the detriment of varietal expression.”
This new wine comprises five clones grown on 20 to 35 year-old vines. It undergoes multiple batch fermentations with seven-day cold soak, whole bunch and barrel fermentation (28% new French oak), followed by 10 months maturation.
The 2022 Castle Rock Estate Riesling is the brand’s flagship wine that captures the pure fruit expression of the unique site along the Porongurup Range. It is a blend of the six Riesling blocks planted on our site, each with their own unique flavour profiles that contribute to the wine’s overall layered complexity.
The wine consists of 100% free run juice, creating elegance and finesse due to the minimal phenolic pick-up from the skins during pressing. It is fermented cool in stainless steel tanks with minimal winemaking influence to highlight the fruit definition and quality attained in the vineyard. A short maturation time before bottling ensures that the freshness of the Rieslings is captured in bottling.
The 2022 Castle Rock Estate ‘Skywalk’ Riesling offers a great contrast in style to the flagship Riesling. Although made in the exact same way, it utilises the medium pressing portion of juice from each Riesling block; the juice closest to the skin and is characterised by lower acidity, more phenolic extraction and ultimately, more flavour. The resulting wine has a soft textual mouthfeel with fuller flavour, which is made for early drinking but can be cellared for the medium term.
Pricing and distribution: The Castle Rock Estate wines are distributed in NSW by IS Wine, in Victoria by Wholesale Wine Services and in WA by Fine Wine Wholesalers. The wines are available at castlerockestate.com.au
- 2021 Castle Rock Estate Pinot Noir, $40
Harvest: 16/03/22 | Alc: 13.5% | pH: 3.50 | TA: 6.5g/L | RS: 0g/L
Bottle shot - 2022 Castle Rock Estate Riesling, $30
Harvest: 25/03/22 | Alc: 11.5% | pH: 2.95 | TA: 9.1g/L | RS: 1.0g/L
Bottle shot - 2022 Castle Rock Estate ‘Skywalk’ Riesling, $25
Harvest: 25/03/22 | Alc: 11.3% | pH: 2.96 | TA: 7.2g/L | RS: 0.25g/L
Bottle shot
For further information and images please contact:
David Cumming at Define Wine Marketing & Communications on 0414 736 342 or david@definewine.com.au
Castle Rock Estate is nestled on the eastern slopes of the Porongurup Mountain and is named after a prominent nearby granite landmark. The vineyard, which sits in Great Southern’s sub region Porongurup, has a cool and elevated northerly aspect, resulting in intensely flavoured wines, particularly Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The vineyard was established in 1983 by Angelo and Wendy Diletti and is now run by their son Rob. Their 200-tonne winery was constructed in 2000 and in 2015 Rob Diletti was named Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year. Rob was a finalist in the 2019 Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine Winemaker of the Year awards and a finalist in the 2022 Wine Companion ‘Best Value Winery’ Awards.