"Sangiovese! An old clone found in a friend’s garden, brought to Australia in 1922, or so the legend goes. Now organic farmed at Castagna by two generations of family. Open ferment, into barrel that’s about 20% new oak, Bob’s ya uncle.
Wonderful aromas suggesting red cherry, game meat, tobacco and potpourri. Medium bodied, succulent, lengthy and lightly juicy, given shape from ribs of light powdery tannin and set to more sour cherry and spice character in flavours. Has a seriousness to it, understatement and elegance. A refined, compelling wine of detail, tannin prowess and class. Excellent – one for the trophy cabinet."
95 points, Mike Bennie, The Winefront, January 2019.
Beechworth
Located in the foothills of the Victorian Alps, Beechworth is a small cool climate region with high continentality. The vineyards enjoy a large number of sunshine hours and are generally planted at altitudes of 400m. A variety of soil types are found with the two dominant ones being ancient sandstone gravel and clay and granitic loams over decomposed gravels and clays. While north or north-easterly slopes are generally favoured, the best sites are located away from higher altitude, cold-air drainage channels, with the risk of frost high in both spring and autumn. Restricted water availability means most vineyards are dry-grown. A region of small boutique producers, Beechworth is best known for premium Chardonnay, Shiraz and Pinot Noir, although plantings of Italian varieties including Sangiovese and Nebbiolo also show great promise.