2022 Castle Rock Estate ‘A&W’ Pinot Noir
$55.00
97 Points, Winepilot // Really good Pinot Noir comes from low yielding, cool climate vineyards, grown on older vines. These characteristics will create balance, intensity and concentration.
Note: This limited wine will not be discounted in a mixed dozen, although it will contribute to the 12 bottles, enabling the 8% case discount in the other wines in the dozen. 3 bottle limit per customer
Out of stock
Tasting Notes
This wine is named in honour of the founders of Castle Rock Estate, aimed to showcase the best Pinot Noir from our vineyard that best represents our unique site. Sourced mainly from our oldest Pinot Noir block, planted in 1986, we are looking for fruit with great depth of flavour and concentration as the base of this wine.
Colour: Bright, deep ruby in colour.
Bouquet: A deep, perfumed nose with prominent blackcurrant and forest floor characters. The whole bunch inclusion is providing spice and subtle confectionary notes, creating lift and freshness.
Palate: The nose carries through, with a core of black fruit forming the cornerstone of the palate. Super fine, silky tannin from the whole bunch, intertwines with the natural acid backbone to create a long, lingering finish. The new oak char has been fully integrated into the wine, offering subtle savoury notes, without being overt. Fruit weight, texture and length of flavour have harmonised to create a seamless palate.
Food accompaniment: Perfect with duck but also try with lamb, chicken and mild Asian dishes.
Cellaring Potential: Will continue to improve and develop complexity with age; cellar for 10+ years.
Winemaking: All estate fruit. Sourced primarily from oldest plantings (1986). Matured in French oak on medium lees for 10 months. Barrel selected from sev-eral small batch treatments for final blend. 23% New oak, 32% Whole bunch.
Gold Medal & Top 50, 2023 Pinot Noir Challenge
97 Points, “All estate fruit. Sourced primarily from the oldest plantings thanks to Angelo and Wendy from 1986. 32% of the total is made up of whole bunches. Matured in French oak on medium lees for 10 months in 23% new oak. A granitic crushed rock is the first and final aroma of this wine. Bay leaf, crushed dried gum leaf and thyme follow with white strawberry, rhubarb and gala apple. There is a hint of reduction that comes across in white coal ash and powdered pepper with a filigree of fine tannin and acidity interplay. As with the rest of the Pinot Noirs in the range the wines graduate with finesse and detail. Less is more as winemaking goes. This is truly pinpoint precision artisan quality. Drink now although will cellar upwards of 8 years. Drink with glistening slivers of wagyu.” Winepilot, Shanteh Wale
97 Points “A wine of structure and poise. This is a serious Pinot Noir demonstrating the power and finesse that you get in great Pinots. A&W has been a project for over 20 years with the vines now between 8 and 37 years of age. There is a slightly sappy stewed plum and sour cherry character that expresses the complexity of this variety. The palate is firm and held with a tight fine tannin and beautifully applied oak, which is a mix of new and seasoned French, of which 24% was new. Super impressive.” Winepilot, Ray Jordan
The complex red berry/herbal nose is vibrant, and the palate delivers great depth of fruit with balanced firmness. Cellar. ★★★★☆ Winewise Magazine, Oct 2023
95 Points, “The prestige release in the Castle Rock Pinot trio, this shows how the grape has gone from curiosity to contender in the West. Indeed, this is the pick of the best set of Pinots I have seen released from WA. The aim here was to showcase CR’s best Pinot from their oldest block, planted in 1986. 32% whole bunch contribution, the wine is matured in French oak, 23% new, with the final blend a barrel selection. Deep red, this is a sleek, refined, seductive and exceptional Pinot. Notes of tobacco leaves, warm earth, dark cherries, new leather and root vegetables which all comes together in a rather luxurious package. There is fine acidity, silky tannins and yet firm grip, good length and serious persistence so it will drink beautifully over the next decade.” Winepilot, Ken Gargett
9.5/10 Points, “What’s five bucks extra when you’re spending 50 on wine? Well, quite a bit but it comes down to personal tastes. Unfortunately mine align with the makers, so I have to pay more. That’s how it works. $5 worth of extra body.” Max Crus, Wine Commentator
94 Points “Deep, dark red with a rim of purple; attractive but reserved aromas are in a darker, earthier fruit spectrum, rich black cherry uppermost, with a balanced lacing of oak. The wine is fuill in the mouth and ample, rounded and savoury with drying tannins that linger at the finish. This is a pinot that will reward a little cellaring and has the concentration and structure to reward keeping.” Huon Hooke, The Real Review
93 Points “Radically deeper in colour than its Diletti sibling, indeed almost all pinots. Its glossy cherry and plum fruit will underwrite its future, albeit with a very warm personality.” James Halliday, Oct 2023
94 Points “Don’t overlook the Great Southern region of Western Australia if you love your Pinot Noir – there are some gems to be uncovered. I was super impressed by the Castle Rock Estate Diletti and this A&W will be sure to sweep you off your feet too. From the original 1986 plantings, the best barrels were selected after they saw ten months in French oak (23% new, 32% whole bunch). Darker in appearance than the Diletti, there is a little more heft here as well. That dense presence slowly pushes through the mouth yet it is a wine that possesses all those Pinot things that glisten. In some respects, it reminds me of those meaty Central Otago Pinots. Think earth, twiggy things, a little game, blackcurrants and dark plum fruit. There’s a gravitas with a dark and dried cherry drive. Superfine spices cruise about with a savoury edge before slippery tannins slide in. The tension that tugs at the edges points to a solid future ahead. It’s an excellent wine.” Qwine, Steve Leszczynski.
★★★★★✩ “Porongurup and Pemberton are less well known Western Australian wine areas but, as today’s duo prove, they make fine cool-climate drops. FromGreat Southern’s Porongurup sub-region, this 13.5% alcohol, ruby-hued red shows vibrant raspberry front-palate flavour. The middle palate has cherry, bramble jelly, spice and mocha oak and a finish of berry fruit and dusty tannins. Ideal for coq au vine and cellar eight years.” Newcastle Herald, John Lewis
★★★★☆ “The complex red berry nose is enhanced by touches of stem and toasty oak. Excellent depth of fruit is the main feature of a silky, fine, firm palate.” Winewise Magazine, July 2023
93 Points, “This wine took a while to come around but it certainly delivered with brooding dark cherry, rhubarb, and potting soil aromas lifted by a classy backbone of French oak. Compact and focussed, tightly wound flavours are wrapped in surprising yet balanced tannins with gentle stemmy complexity over a long but closed finish. Excellent, but needs plenty of time.” Winepilot, Angus Hughson
92 Points “Lipstick, red fruit, vanillan oak, some delicious raspberry watermelon Pinot character. Super polished and classy…” Australian Wine & Drinks Review, Andrew Graham
Vine Age: 20-35 Years
Yields: 2.2 T/Acre
Harvest Date: 16 March 2022
Bottling Date: 14 February 2023
Alc: 13.5%
pH: 3.50
T.A.: 5.0
Residual sugar: 0 g/L
Vegan friendly
Minimal sulphites used
2022 Castle Rock Estate ‘A&W’ Pinot Noir
94 Points, QWine, Steve Leszczynski
9.5/10, Max Crus
2021 Castle Rock Estate ‘A&W’ Pinot Noir
Trophy, Best Pinot Noir, Wine Show of Western Australia 2022
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review