Great Southern, Western Australia

Castelli Estate

Our 8-ha vineyard is located high on our estate, outside of the small town of Denmark, Western Australia. The vineyard overlooks the Wilson Inlet – a large estuary that curls back on itself, forming a final barrier to the ocean. 

The grapes grown on the Castelli family vineyard are cooled by an Antarctic gust. Over its 3,500km journey, this robust ocean breeze retains just a sliver of iciness. This cooling effect ensures our fruit ripens slowly and surely, building complexity. The northerly aspect ensures optimal exposure to sunlight, building depth of flavour. In contrast to so much of Western Australia’s sandy earth, the soil here is deep, red and rich. Fed from the towering Karri trees, our vines thrive with very little intervention.

Our vineyard consists of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Chardonnay plantings include the Gin Gin clone: the foundation of Western Australia’s global dominance with Chardonnay. Two Burgundian clones – 95 and 96 – make up the remainder with an additional block of 96 added in 2016. While Gin Gin is characterised by citrus and tropical fruit flavours, the Burgundian clones are known for their grapefruit and zesty green apple skin flavour profile. To have three premium Chardonnay clones on such an exceptional vineyard site is unparalleled in the region.

Our Pinot Noir includes the beloved Burgundian clones 114 and 115. Clone 114 is renowned for its juicy black cherry and raspberry flavours, while 115 is well respected for its balance and aroma. In 2016 we planted a block of clone 777 at the base of the hill, with the juicy fruit flavour profile of the Burgundian clone the perfect fit for our estate site.

Vineyard Management. As much work as possible in the vineyard both proactive and reactive to the season to maximise fruit development and flavour, allowing the winemaking process to be gentle, minimal, simple and expressive of vineyard site. Pinot and Chardonnay are closest to our heart here in Denmark, we have a unique hilltop site, northerly aspect influenced by the Southern Ocean. Our aim is to be unique in every wine we make, let the vineyard expression shine and work with each sites quirky expression as opposed t trying to hide behind winemaking technique.

Organic and sustainable practices. As many low impact practices as suitable for each site are employed, mechanical under vine weeding as opposed to spraying, hand de-suckering as opposed to chemical de-suckering, incorporating organically certified fertilisers into the program and a targeted approach with rotation of non-organic fungicides to retain efficacy in the management program.

Our Great Southern Wine Region

As custodians of a small piece of the Great Southern region, we recognise the depth and breadth of winegrowing and winemaking experience around us. We are proud to work with and support a selection of growers from throughout the district.

Frankland River

A haven for our reds, this ancient valley was formed by the flowing Frankland River. It is characterised by its loose gravelly ironstone soil, with warm days and cool nights thanks to that Southern Ocean influence. Our wines feature Frankland River Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, providing all the colour, flavour, intensity and finesse that are the hallmarks of this region.

Mount Barker

With an average elevation of 300 metres, Mt Barker is the coolestof the Western Australian sub-regions. We source Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Shiraz and Chardonnay from 15 hectares of vineyards across this region, reveling in the minerality, fine acidity, and delicate structure of the resultant wines.

Porongurup

The Porongurup sub region is located east of Mount Barker, producing distinct cool climate fruit that we carefully select for our Riesling and Pinot Noir. This sub-region is small but the Mediterranean and long ripening season of the region, lying just east of Mount Barker, produces exceptional quality fruit with intense flavours. The Porongurup's spectacular geomorphic granite range creates a variety of soil types, with karri loams and well drained loamy gravels the most productive. The subregion boasts a special climatic feature — a nocturnal thermal zone created by warm air rising above the denser cold air sliding down the hillsides and settling on the valley floor. This air drainage produces ideal conditions for ripening vines reducing the risk of frost.

Albany

Like our family vineyard in Denmark, our favoured site in Albany is directly influenced by the rugged Southern Ocean. The area features the typical Western Australian sandy soil, providing minerality and finesse. We source Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay from this six-hectare site, which produces wines characterised by acidity, fruit purity and freshness.