Castagna fter the difficulties of the 2011 vintage it is with enormous pride and pleasure that we offer the vintage 2012 reds and 2013 whites for general release. Vintage 2012 continues, in style and substance, to build on the widely-acclaimed 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages. All three Reds will cellar very well. This vintage has thus far only been shown to one reviewer – Jeremy Oliver – who has kindly allowed us to pre-empt by a few days some of the reviews published in his, about to be released, excellent ‘ Australian Wine Annual ’. His thoughts are overleaf. We will publish other third-party reviews on the website as and when they become available. A Castagna 2012 Un Segreto To make great Sangiovese you must listen to its voice. This year, as in 2005, I decided that the blend would make the better wine so have used all of our Sangiovese in Un Segreto. Crimson to traditional blood magenta in colour; it has a refined aroma both mysterious and beguiling: plums, black pepper, leather polish applied satisfyingly to the favourite old armchair worn down by decades of use. On the palate black cherries ripe and firm with sweet wafts of damp rose petals; a glorious attack of silky plum fruit with exotic spices and a fine tannin underbelly freshened by balanced acidity. Delicious. Castagna 2012 Genesis Syrah A cool, sodden end to summer extended the growing season: our spirits rather than dampened, were lifted. Beautiful, balanced fruit with lower baumes were delivered into the winery. You could almost see the vines lift and heave a sigh of relief: rainfall – fresh, cooling and life-giving water from the heavens invigorated the vines and gave them the strength to bring the fruit to a slow and complete level of ripeness without production of excess sugar. As the wine developed in barrel we realised that this was going to be one of those rare and breathtaking wines. A wine of quiet reserve and sophistication that will age gracefully over the next twenty years and beyond. A dark brooding hue of black and magenta; charcuterie, cracked black pepper, blood plums, a subtle hint of apricot mingles with sandalwood, cinnamon and clove – a bouquet that provides a rainbow of sensory aromas. The palate is elegant, cool and refreshing with great depth and dimension. Black fruits, ripe but not sweet, are seasoned perfectly by the fine tannins and acid structure. Here the palate mirrors the bouquet! This is a wine that will, in time, emerge into an hedonistic showcase of the glory of Beechworth Shiraz grown on granite, clay soils. Castagna 2013 Ingénue A perfect vintage for the Viognier – if a perfect vintage can ever exist – a wine that rides high on flavour and yet does not blow out on the palate. Gold to yellow hue: musk, ripe orange- bronzed apricots, honeycomb, galangal and scented orange blossom notes create a highly scented bouquet; exotic, powerful, rich and rolling on the palate with a creamy, spicy note infused by ripe apricots seasoned with lime notes and a faint hint of mineral oyster-shell-like flavour on the palate; freshness with power and elegance. Adam’s Rib 2012 ‘The Red’ An impressive follow-up to the delicious 2010. It speaks of Bonox and Vegemite, beef stock, and then Chinese spice-box notes, and sweet freshly polished old leather aromas wafting around cherry fruit and later dewy rose petal scents. The pallet has great attack, powdery fine tannins and vibrant acidity meld with notes of sour plum fruit, and as the wine lengthens, cedar, cinnamon and sandalwood spices add further dimensions. Quite yummy. Castagna Classic Dry Vermouth This is an utterly delicious aperitif, based on our Shiraz Rosé; infused with more than 30 botanicals it can be drunk on its own to stimulate the appetite, with a sliver of orange peel, or mixed half and half with a good quality gin and again a sliver of orange peel, to make a very wet martini. Moreish to say the least. For more information visit www.castagna.com.au
Transcript
CastagnaB E E C H W O R T H
fter the difficulties of the 2011 vintage it is with enormous pride and pleasure
that we offer the vintage 2012 reds and 2013 whites for general release.
Vintage 2012 continues, in style and substance, to build on the widely-acclaimed
2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages. All three Reds will cellar very well. This vintage has thus far only been
shown to one reviewer – Jeremy Oliver – who has kindly allowed us to pre-empt by a few days some of the
reviews published in his, about to be released, excellent ‘Australian Wine Annual’. His thoughts are overleaf.
We will publish other third-party reviews on the website as and when they become available.
A
Castagna 2012 Un Segreto To make great Sangiovese you must listen to its voice. This year, as in 2005, I decided that the blend would make the better wine so have used all of our Sangiovese in Un
Segreto. Crimson to traditional blood magenta in colour; it has a refined aroma both mysterious and beguiling: plums, black pepper, leather polish applied satisfyingly to the favourite old armchair worn down by decades of use. On the palate black cherries ripe and firm with sweet wafts of damp rose petals; a glorious attack of silky plum fruit with exotic spices and a fine tannin underbelly freshened by balanced acidity. Delicious.
Castagna 2012 Genesis SyrahA cool, sodden end to summer extended the growing
season: our spirits rather than dampened, were lifted. Beautiful, balanced fruit with lower baumes were delivered into the winery. You could almost see the vines lift and heave a sigh of relief: rainfall – fresh, cooling and life-giving water from the heavens invigorated the vines and gave them the strength to bring the fruit to a slow and complete level of ripeness without production of excess sugar. As the wine developed in barrel we realised that this was going to be one of those rare and
breathtaking wines. A wine of quiet reserve and sophistication that will age gracefully over the next twenty years and beyond.
A dark brooding hue of black and magenta; charcuterie, cracked black pepper, blood plums, a subtle hint of apricot mingles with sandalwood, cinnamon and clove – a bouquet that provides a rainbow of sensory aromas. The palate is elegant, cool and refreshing with great depth and dimension. Black fruits, ripe but not sweet, are seasoned perfectly by the fine tannins and acid structure. Here the palate mirrors the bouquet! This is a wine that will, in time, emerge into an hedonistic showcase of the glory of Beechworth Shiraz grown on granite, clay soils.
Castagna 2013 IngénueA perfect vintage for the Viognier – if a perfect vintage can ever exist – a wine that rides high on flavour and yet does not blow out on the palate. Gold to yellow hue: musk, ripe orange-bronzed apricots, honeycomb, galangal and scented orange blossom notes create a highly scented bouquet; exotic, powerful, rich and rolling on the palate with a creamy, spicy note infused by ripe apricots seasoned with lime notes and a faint hint of mineral oyster-shell-like flavour on the palate; freshness with power and elegance.
Adam’s Rib 2012 ‘The Red’An impressive follow-up to the delicious 2010. It speaks of Bonox and Vegemite, beef stock, and then Chinese spice-box notes, and sweet freshly polished old leather aromas wafting around cherry fruit and later dewy rose petal scents. The pallet has great attack, powdery fine tannins and vibrant acidity meld with notes of sour plum fruit, and as the wine lengthens, cedar, cinnamon and sandalwood spices add further dimensions. Quite yummy.
Castagna Classic Dry VermouthThis is an utterly delicious aperitif, based on our Shiraz Rosé; infused with more than 30 botanicals it can be drunk on its own to stimulate the appetite, with a sliver of orange peel, or mixed half and half with a good quality gin and again a sliver of orange peel, to make a very wet martini. Moreish to say the least.
From Jeremy Oliver’s The Australian Wine Annual 2015
Castagna 2012 Genesis SyrahLong and elegant, fine-grained and stylish, with a deeply layered bouquet
of dark flowers and black pepper, with briary aromas of small dark berries,
plums and cherries backed by musky, peppery notes and a perfumed lift of
rose water. Supported by dusty, mouth-watering tannins, it’s translucently
bright, with a finely crafted presence of musky, peppery and sour-edged
small dark berry flavours extending towards its brightly lit, savoury finish of
pronounced acidity, building flavour and texture along the way. 95 Points
Castagna 2012 Un SegretoBeautifully balanced and focused, with a deeply floral, spicy bouquet
of blood plums, dark cherries, underbrush and fresh cedar/vanilla oak
backed by scents of white pepper, clove and cinnamon. Supremely elegant
and stylish, with a pristine, vibrant core of translucently clear and perfectly
focused small cherries, blood plums, blackberries, briar and tight-knit oak
underpinned by fine, powdery tannins, it extends long and harmonious
towards a wonderfully savoury and slightly nervy finish. 96 Points
Adam’s Rib 2012 ‘The Red’Earthy, floral and brambly aromas of blackberries, dark plums and
chocolates backed by nuances of suede leather, musk and game meats
slowly reveal intense red fruit aromas and suggestions of forest floor. It’s
full to medium-bodied, with a pleasing length of bright spicy dark plum,
blackberry and cherry kernel flavour underpinned by a drying, linear
spine of powdery tannins, finishing long and savoury, meaty and earthy
with minty, iodide-like notes. 92 Points
C A S TAG N A I S O N E O F B E E C H WO R T H ’S clan of high-quality and high-elevation
small vineyards. Its 2012 reds reflect an astonishingly good season plus the unquestioned
benefits of additional vine-age and root depth. There’s a perfumed and a multilayered silkiness
about these wines that we haven’t seen before. While Julian Castagna chose to blend all his
sangiovese into the Un Segreto blend, meaning there is no 2012 La Chiave, the result is quite
possibly the finest Castagna red since the 2005 edition of the same wine. This, however, is
remarkably fine-grained, savoury and ethereal, qualities shared by the deeply perfumed 2012
Genesis Syrah. This edition sees the debut of the Adam’s Rib red blend of nebbiolo and shiraz.
With this release as well as the Vermouth, we are also introducing a new range:
Grower s’ Selection
Any orders received before our Open Day on 25 October
will get a small bonus – 5% discount – and of course you can
take the wine with you if you come; the day is always fun.
CastagnaB E E C H W O R T H
2013 Beechworth Roussanne
To the eye, it is straw gold with the slightest tinge of green. The nose is lush and spicy; baked peach, honey blossom, and quince with a
suggestion of hazel and cashew nuts so typical of Roussanne. The palate is rich, round and complex but still subtle with the suggestions of stewed quince, baked peach with honey and cinnamon. It has a long finish with a touch of apricot, and a texture that is both creamy and mouth-filling.
2013 Beechworth Chardonnay
A classic Beechworth Chardonnay, straw-gold with a green tinge: aromas of hazelnut, yellow peach, and nuances of matchstick mingled with spicy-oak notes of ginger and orange
zest; the attack is full of rich, peach and nectarine fruit flavours matched with creamy oak notes that impart subtle qualities and structure with a bright and cleansing acidity. Very affordable.
2013 Harlequin
A Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Viognier blend called ‘Harlequin’. This wine has been fermented on skins in the tradition of the amphora wines of Georgia – which is colloquially known as Orange Wine. I became enamoured with this style when I took my son Adam to visit what had been my grandfather’s vineyard in the north of Italy and came across the wines of Dario Princic. Orange Wine is all the rage at the moment and I wanted to see whether we could make a wine to compete with that wine that had so impressed me in Italy. I think we have. Textural, spicy and savoury with sufficient depth to carry the phenolic structure – apple, honey and mead come to the fore on the palate, with a hint of elderflower. Spice notes kick in towards the end; the palate is clean fresh and tasty. It is unlike anything I have tasted locally – delicious and different and again very affordable. The wine is best served at cellar temperature and will benefit from air or even a decanting.
For more information visit www.castagna.com.au
Castagna
750mlwine of australia. alc 12% vol. www.castagna.com.au
B e e c h w o r t hC h a r d o n n a y
20 1 3
750mlwine of australia. alc 13% vol. www.castagna.com.au
Ca s tagnaH a r l e q u i n
20 1 3750mlwine of australia. alc 14% vol. www.castagna.com.au
![[Castagna J.P.] AVO Course Notes, Part 1. Direct H(BookSee.org)](https://static.documents.pub/doc/80x56/55cf8f2a550346703b998ebe/castagna-jp-avo-course-notes-part-1-direct-hbookseeorg.jpg)
