Castle Rock Estate A&W Pinot Noir 2023
- 96
- $52
- Drink by: 2024-2030
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Estate fruit from their 1986 plantings matured in French oak for 10 months of which 18% was new. 27% whole bunches were used. The pigment is decidedly dark here with notes of rose bud, rosella and boysenberries. Mulberry with stems attached, prune plums and blood orange juice. Sage leaf, wet earth and granite rock. Tannins are silky but have excellent staying power coating the roof of the mouth. There is clove and allspice, star anise and dark chocolate. It’s drinking well now but will continue to improve in complexities as it ages. I’d say another 4-6 years, so while this is worth opening tonight, it’s also well worth a case going down into the depth of your cellar. Serve with Char Siu Bao buns for a heavenly pairing.
Shanteh cut her teeth at Sydney’s Award-Winning Quay restaurant where she worked for over a decade and was Head Sommelier from 2018 till 2022. She has been nominated for the Good Food Guide Sommelier of the Year award on three occasions and claims that her experience as a Len Evans scholar as one of the highlights of her career. Shanteh hosts her own weekly podcast ‘Over A Glass’ with the Deep in the Weeds Network and spends her time writing for various publications and judging at numerous wine shows across the country.
