2021 Castagna Barbarossa Nebbiolo

95 pts Highly Rated
Brilliant Nebbiolo from a single vineyard on the Castagna estate in Beechworth.

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Sale price$115.00
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Description

Julian Castagna’s Barbarossa Nebbiolo comes from the family’s biodynamic vineyard on the granite slopes just outside Beechworth. It’s a site that gives naturally firm, aromatic fruit – perfect for Nebbiolo, though only a small amount is made each year. The 2021 vintage was cool and steady, giving wines with freshness, balance and real clarity of flavour.

Fermentation was wild and slow, with gentle extraction and long time on skins before ageing in old French oak. The approach is typical Castagna – minimal handling, no shortcuts, everything done with patience and precision.

It’s unmistakably Nebbiolo: red cherry, rose, orange peel and that earthy, savoury edge that only this grape can deliver. The palate is taut and structured, with fine, dusty tannins and a long, dry finish. It’s serious but not austere – the kind of wine that makes sense with a good meal and time in the glass.

95 points
"This wine is so fine you find yourself writing tasting notes more in tune with a pinot." 
- Jeni Port (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
"Feels a little pinot-esque but with tannin grip and tension. It’s fabulous."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Mike Bennie

Mike Bennie

The Wine Front 95 Points

Bloody, savoury, succulent and fine tuned with a sheath of grippy, ripe, silty tannin. Sour cherry, concentrated but shows power without weight, a finesse to it all, exceptional length and laden with exotic spice. Feels a little pinot-esque but with tannin grip and tension. It’s fabulous.

Jeni Port

Jeni Port

Halliday Wine Companion 95 Points

This wine is so fine you find yourself writing tasting notes more in tune with a pinot. The florals are breathtaking: rose petal, rosehip, violet. It brings those lifted characters to the fore on the palate, aligned with cherry, cranberry, clove, earth and spiced woodsmoke. Juicy, alive, fresh and vital, but those silky tannins bring a solid underlying structure. And, in case you were wondering, Barbarossa – 'red beard' – is the nickname of Julian Castagna's grandfather.

95 points - "This wine is so fine you find yourself writing tasting notes more in tune with a pinot. The florals are breathtaking: rose petal, rosehip, violet. It brings those lifted characters to the fore on the palate, aligned with cherry, cranberry, clove, earth and spiced woodsmoke. Juicy, alive, fresh and vital, but those silky tannins bring a solid underlying structure. And, in case you were wondering, Barbarossa – 'red beard' – is the nickname of Julian Castagna's grandfather." - Jeni Port (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "Bloody, savoury, succulent and fine tuned with a sheath of grippy, ripe, silty tannin. Sour cherry, concentrated but shows power without weight, a finesse to it all, exceptional length and laden with exotic spice. Feels a little pinot-esque but with tannin grip and tension. It’s fabulous." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Single vineyard – 100% Nebbiolo – it’s been a long wait, the vines have been in the ground for 13 years but the first vintage was only in 2015.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type Red
Body Full Bodied
Variety Nebbiolo
Country Australia
Region Beechworth
Australian State VIC
Feature Biodynamic
Cult
High Score
Organic
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 95
Alcohol 14%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2021
Closure DIAM Cork

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