Julian Castagna Un Segreto 2015

Castagna Un Segreto, made from a precise blend of single-vineyard, estate-grown Sangiovese and Shiraz, biodynamic crimson, spice, cherry. Un Segreto (Sangiovese/Shiraz) is deep crimson. The nose is of exotic spice, liquorice and tar over black cherry, cedary wood and earthy extract. The palate has an earthy, black-fruited impact with textural richness coming from the fine tannins. It is taut, fine and long with vibrant acidity. It has a middle pallet which is long, clean, with a savoury finish. Overall it is dry and savoury with lovely earthy elements, deliciously rich, but avoiding sweetness.“Deep crimson-purple floral and herbal, highly aromatic, blackcurrant and dark plum with ethereal savoury and spice complexity that includes flashes of fennel, leather, black olive, cherry, anise and mint. Savoury and complex medium-full boded blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Sangiovese, the long and structured core of tangy fruit shows similar flavours to the nose, structured by a spine of firm acidity and handsome minerality, spicy roast coffee oak with finely grained but mouth-filling tannins.”

Julian Castagna, with a little help from his friends, made his first vintage of wine in 1998, having purchased a few acres of vines, and bought a little bit of fruit.

Today, with his son Adam, Julien produces just a handful of biodynamic wines from his tiny winery, with each vintage getting more precise and more finely tuned. Situated at an altitude of 500 metres five-and-a-half kilometres outside the beautiful town of Beechworth in Northeast Victoria, which has been farmed according to Rudolph Steiner's biodynamic principles from the word go so as to achieve optimum fruit quality and health. Everything is done by hand: hand harvesting leads to gentle crushing of whole clusters and some de-stemmed grapes. Natural fermentation is allowed to take its own course, and the wines are bottled without fining or filtration, and without masking the character with new oak. The wines are a clear reflection of the land and defy the stereotype of Australian wines.