Castle Rock Estate A&W Riesling 2022

Anyone who is not paying close attention to what Rob Diletti is doing at Castle Rock, and elsewhere, especially with his Rieslings, is simply not serious about great Aussie wine. The ‘A&W’ selections are a tribute to Rob’s mum and dad, Angelo and Wendy, who founded the estate at Porongurup in the West. This wine is whole bunch pressed, fermented with some solids and then spends six months on lees. Near trout stream clear in colour, there is a minerally, chalky note to open proceedings with spices, grapefruit notes, lemongrass, a hint of ginger and wet slate that it well focused with line and length. There is juicy, slightly mouth puckering acidity, serious length plus immaculate balance too. A wonderful Riesling with ten to fifteen years development ahead of it, though anyone prepared to put some away for even longer will surely be rewarded. To be honest, this score seems rather miserly and I have only given it as I do not want to paint myself into the proverbial corner. I have no doubt that with time, it will go higher.

Ken Gargett

Contributor at Winepilot

Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.

Wine writer and critic