2023 Castle Rock Estate ‘A&W’ Riesling

96 Points “A very pale yellow hue, the nose gives us ginger, limes, honey and wet stones. Impeccable focus and exceptional length are on show and the balance is also a highlight. This is obviously very young but already absolutely approachable. Even so, no harm in cellaring a few bottles for the next ten to fifteen years, probably longer. Anyone who has the slightest doubt as to the quality of Riesling from the West needs to try this, and the other CR wines. These are special Aussie Rieslings.” Winepilot, Ken Gargett, Nov 2023

96 Points “Intense bouquet of preserved lemon, wet stone, verbena, Bright and zesty with superb intensity and drive. Finished long with an attractive grippy, mineral finish. Now -2033+” The Vintage Journal, Oct 2023

95 Points “A wine made in honour of the founders Angelo and Wendy who had the foresight to plant Riesling vines in 1983. Hand harvested, whole bunch pressed, stainless steel ferment and left on lees for 4 months. Grated galangal root, white pepper and cider apples. Pickled pear, grapefruit pith and chalk. Bone dry and savoury on the palate this wine is a tale of texture and angular edges. Built for the long haul, the wine is drinking beautifully but will develop almond skin, candle wax and quince over time. A reward for your cellar in 15 years. Serve with BBQ shellfish and fresh lemon.” Winepilot, Shanteh Wale, Nov 2023

95 Points “Very light colour with a less floral but more mineral aroma: stony and slaty, the palate likewise racy and trim, lean and mineral/stony, with slaty and saline/bath salts nuances. Very dry finish but avoids austerity. A true vin de garde.” Huon Hooke, The Real Review, Oct 2023

94 Points “The first word that comes to mind is ‘delightful’. It’s an accessible, vibrant expression that delivers on the regional promise of zingy acidity and compact lemon-lime citrus characters, but a nuance of subtle savouriness lends charm and there’s a light powdery influence in texture. Lots on. The wine feels floral and fruity, too, a prettiness woven into the seriousness of its acid profile, and the length of flavour continues long after each sip. I see spicy pan-Thai cuisine in its future, and soon.” Wine Companion, Mike Bennie

★★★★★ “A personality all of its own, this one. Let’s start from the top: it’s from Porongurup in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, which is ideally suited for prime cool-climate wine production – in other words, it’s superb riesling country (at last count, Castle Rock were producing no less than five rieslings). The A and W is in honour of Castle Rock founders Angelo and Wendy Diletti who planted their first vines there in 1983. This is made entirely from selected parcels of estate grown fruit. Pale lemon in colour, there’s a real briny seaside element to this, almost Chablis-like. We’re talking salty, oyster shells and sea spray, with a crisp lime undertow. It’s clean and taut, with a fine lemony acid backbone that suggests this would cellar extremely well. It will be interesting to see how these saline flavours develop over the next 10 years. Quite beautifully I suspect.” Newcastle Herald, Rick Allen, Nov 2023

93 Points “Salty-sour margarita hit! It’s powerful in flavour with a chew, salt, limes and briny lemons. There’s not much for the floral or fruity element in this wine, which doesn’t worry me and it’s not a bad thing. It’s much more about the pure salty oyster shell and lemon juice, pith and acidic tension. It feels crisp and refreshing and in this sense quite delicious.” The Winefront, Kasia Sobiesiak

★★★★★ “An intensely limey, dry riesling with stoney/flinty overtones. Steely acid underlies the beautifully expressed fruit. A classic cellaring style.” Winewise Magazine, Oct 2023

92 Points, Oz Wine Review, Andrew Graham, Nov 2023