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    15° C Overcast clouds
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    00:45 AM
  • Wine average?

    93 Tb
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    36
  • Region Ranking?

    1
  • Popularity ranking?

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History

Castle Rock Estate is an award-winning winery in the Porongurup Ranges in Western Australia. Castle Rock Estate is located on the northeast face of the Porongurup mountain range 40 kilometres North-East of Albany and 30 kilometres South-East of Mount Barker. Along with its unique culture of wineries, crafts and accommodation, the Porongurup National Park provides a natural scenic beauty. To allow appreciation of this beauty, many bush walks have been created throughout the park with varying degrees of difficulty. The Porongurup is also well-known for its diverse range of flora. Karri trees can be found in the high altitudes of the ranges. This is the furthest eastern occurrence of Karri trees, most of which are found in Walpole. During spring the Porongurups are covered in vibrant splashes of colour with wattles, southern cross, hoveas and 20 species of orchids. Castle Rock Estate has a clear view of the Stirling Ranges across the vineyard from the cellar. The view can be enjoyed while tasting the selection of wines and/or during a packed picnic lunch.

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Vineyards

Towards the end of 1981 the 55 hectare property was specifically selected by  Angelo and Wendy Diletti to grow premium quality table-wine grapes. The choice was based on the altitude, an approximate eastern slope, well-drained soils and excellent water catchment potential. The wide arc of magnificent views has been the bonus.

The vineyard is located on Porongurup Road in the shire of Plantagenet. It is set high in the Porongurup Ranges, which are 40 km north of Western Australia's south coast regional center Albany. The altitude, 350 meters, and the position of the vineyard, which exposes the vines to cooling south-east breezes results in a prolonged growing season, enables the fruit to develop maximum varietal flavour and ripeness.

The first varieties (Reisling and Cabernet Sauvignon) were planted in 1983. Those first two hectares were followed in 1986 with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with further plantings of Reisling and Cabernet Sauvignon. Later planting included Merlot and Cabernet Franc. In 1996, the 10th anniversary of our first vintage preparation commenced with an additional area planted with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

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Winemaking

The wines from Castle Rock Estate were made under contract at Alkoomi winery from 1986 to 2000. The next phase of growth was to make our wines on site at Castle Rock Estate. After the 2000 vintage we decided to bite the bullet and proceed with plans to build a 200 tonne winery on the estate. Despite having nearly twelve months, it was only just completed on time, the first tanks arriving only four days before the first grapes arrived.

Planned by Robert and Angelo the winery building makes use of the natural slope of the land and is built on two levels. The grapes are crushed and fermented on the upper level, then gravity fed into the press below, thus doing away with the need to pump the must. This is very important for Riesling as it reduces skin and seeds which give the juice hard phenolics.

The upper level houses four six tonne red fermenters. When the reds have finished fermenting, the press can be positioned below and filled simply by opening the door!

 The winery is a blend of age old, proven techniques and some equipment which is state of the art. The press, de-stemmer/crusher and refrigeration system were bought brand new so we are sure of their ability performance and reliability. The use of gravity ensure we are not over reliant on machines and we believe we have the right balance to maximise quality.

 The wine is bottled on site by a portable bottling line which is set up on the back of a semi-trailer. This is an ideal arrangement as we aren't sending the wine away in a bulk tanker and we don't need to outlay huge capital for a bottling line. Bottling on site means we can be sure that the quality and freshness of the wine is maintained. 

The wines from Castle Rock Estate were made under contract at Alkoomi winery from 1986 to 2000. The next phase of growth was to make our wines on site at Castle Rock Estate. After the 2000 vintage we decided to bite the bullet and proceed with plans to build a 200 tonne winery on the estate. Despite having nearly twelve months, it was only just completed on time, the first tanks arriving only four days before the first grapes arrived.

Planned by Robert and Angelo the winery building makes use of the natural slope of the land and is built on two levels. The grapes are crushed and fermented on the upper level, then gravity fed into the press below, thus doing away with the need to pump the must. This is very important for Riesling as it reduces skin and seeds which give the juice hard phenolics.

The upper level houses four six tonne red fermenters. When the reds have finished fermenting, the press can be positioned below and filled simply by opening the door!

The winery is a blend of age old, proven techniques and some equipment which is state of the art. The press, de-stemmer/crusher and refrigeration system were bought brand new so we are sure of their ability performance and reliability. The use of gravity ensure we are not over reliant on machines and we believe we have the right balance to maximise quality.

The wine is bottled on site by a portable bottling line which is set up on the back of a semi-trailer. This is an ideal arrangement as we aren't sending the wine away in a bulk tanker and we don't need to outlay huge capital for a bottling line. Bottling on site means we can be sure that the quality and freshness of the wine is maintained.

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Inside information

Robert Diletti has been part of Castle Rock Estate since its inception in 1981. He can still remember helping plant the first vines as a six year old in 1983. Many a school holiday and weekend was spent helping his parents on the vineyard.

In 1995 he enrolled in the Charles Sturt University winemaking course, graduating in 1998. He spent two years full time on campus then studied externally for two years while working as a cellar hand. This was at Mount Adam winery in the Eden Valley, South Australia.

After finishing his studies Rob worked at the Alkoomi winery as the Assistant Winemaker in 1999 and 2000. During this time he grasped a good understanding of how to handle the Castle Rock Estate fruit while it was being turned into wine at Alkoomi. Rob completed a vintage in Alsace, France and then returned to Castle Rock Estate to design and build a winery with his family.

Rob has been a wine judge at the Perth Wine Show, Sydney Wine Show, and National Canberra Wine Show and has been Panel Leader at Qantas Wine Show of Western Australia.

He makes wine for nine other contract wineries including Dukes, Shepherds Hut, 3drops, Montgomery Hill, Oranje Tractor, Zarephath, Abbey Creek, Hillbrook and Shepherds Hut. Many of Castle Rock Wines and the contract wines consistently do well in James Halliday’s Wine Companion, Castle Rock has a had 5 Red Star rating for many years!

As well as receiving many awards for his wines, Rob also has achieved many personal accolades including receiving an award for the Young Winemaker Leading Light Award in 2006 and being a finalist in Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year Awards in 2012. Perhaps his greatest achievement to date was being recently named the inaugural Wine Maker of the Year in James Halliday’s 2015 Wine Companion!

Robert states, “I believe that wine is made in the vineyard. The quality and style is determined by the site and at Castle Rock we are fortunate to have a site that produces such high quality wine.”

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