2022 Castle Rock Estate ‘Diletti’ Riesling

97 Points “Rob Diletti thrown the rule book out the door and used his decades of experience with the estate fruit: this is barrel fermented and matured, coupled with extended lees contact that builds wonderful texture and weight. A great master at work.” James Halliday, Wine Companion

96 Points “An old world approach to the Castle Rock style. Here we see a play on lees and barrel maturation. 10 months in seasoned French puncheons on lees with minimal stirring. Firecracker flint with zested limes and key lime pie curd. Lilikoi and Buddha’s hand citrus. This is exotically charming and tantalising in its moreishness. Bone dry with an oyster shell salinity on the finish. It’s full of punch and character but with the finesse Castle Rock shows in all their Rieslings. Drink now and will cellar upwards of 8 years then serve with good pork sausages and apple sauce.” Winepilot, Shanteh Wale, Nov 2023

96 Points “Light bright yellow with nutty, smoky and honeyed aromas, complex and suggesting some barrel fermentation. The wine is rich and full in the mouth with tremendous mouth-feel thanks to barrel work. It’s generous and full, rounded and smooth as well as dry, a little reduction adding to its interest level. Long and balanced, with an appetising follow through. A superb, more exotic style of Australian riesling.” Huon Hooke, The Real Review, Oct 2023

95+ Points “The 2022 Diletti Riesling has spent time in oak and an extended time on the lees, and at this early stage of its life, the oak is sitting atop the fruit. It is spicy and elegant but present nonetheless, with sandalwood and a hint of turmeric, white pepper and pink grapefruit. The wine is balanced on a fulcrum of intense acidity that soars through the heart of the fruit and into the long finish. This is definitely a wine to keep and to cellar; it will repay you with complexity and finesse in time. Super. 12% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.” Robert Parker Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin

95 Points “An excellent Riesling from Castle Rock Estate, it sees barrel fermentation and lees contact to build veneers of interest. There’s some depth too, yet it maintains its vibrant persona. Yes! Riesling is often said to be served icy cold, but don’t drink this Diletti too cold or you’ll miss the detail and the best bits won’t shine. A wine with a delicate creaminess, preserved lemon brings some intensity. Whispers of dried rosemary flank the edges with a lemon juice pulse. Riverstones bring the minerally feels with a chalky finish. The drive, the detail, the moreishness, it’s excellent indeed.” Qwine Reviews, Oct 2023

93 Points “Diletti is the barrel-fermented star in the Castle Rock Riesling range, and I think it’s a challenging wine. Unlike the pure perfection of the Castle Rock Estate Riesling, this is less obvious and also less pretty, especially as it spends ten months in old wood. I still think the barrel character is a bit obvious, stirring in more vanilla popcorn and white peach barrel/ees white peach shade over the delicacy. But the palate profile is excellent – the oak is mainly on the nose, and the palate has an unmistakable chewy depth – a real grapefruit pith tang, but also Riesling in all its proudness. I like that this wine exists and admire the whole textural depth behind it, even if it’s not obviously seductive. You know what else? It’s cheap. Warm applause from me.” Oz Wine Review, Andrew Graham

93 Points “This is Rob Diletti playing around with Old World techniques to explore the texture and acidity of Riesling (seriously, you should be chasing all of Rob’s wines, whether ‘standards’ or experimental – he has more than proved himself as one of West Australia’s, indeed the nation’s, finest winemakers). Free run juice is racked to barrel along with some solids, before fermentation in older French puncheons and then ten months maturation there with minimal stirring. Bone dry, this is fascinating stuff and lovers of Riesling will adore it. A slightly deeper yellow colour. The aromas weave through limes and oranges. Early complexity is already evident and there is a good line of acidity with near-perfect balance. A lingering finish, though it seems to broaden out just a touch right at the conclusion. A really interesting style to drink now and over the next five or six years.”Winepilot, Ken Gargett, Oct 2023

92 Points “Slightly reductive upon opening. Toasty and forward with hints of kerosene and preserved lemon. Crisp and zesty in the mid-palate leading to a long finish. Now-2033.” The Vintage Journal, Oct 2023