My interview with Rob Diletti from Castle Rock out from behind the paywall

Here’s another (likely final drop) from my ‘out from the paywall’ series of unpaid print articles, and today, it’s a chat with Rob Diletti from Castle Rock Estate, who is as genuine as his wines are fantastic value.

A version of this article appeared in a print magazine late last year.

It seems fitting that the steep hike up to Western Australia’s famed Castle Rock Granite Skywalk is considered one of WA’s best day walks.

That’s because, as you stand atop the giant rock domes, with the rugged Stirling Ranges on one side and the sparkling Albany Coast on the other, just 300m below, lies one of the country’s true Riesling icons, Castle Rock Estate.

Angelo and Wendy Diletti were first lured to this stunning corner of Great Southern back in 1981. Attracted by a vineyard-friendly combination of altitude, cooling SE sea breezes, and well-drained soils, they picked a gently sloping 55ha property on the east end of the Porongurup Range, with plantings of Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon following in 1983.

By 1992, the family called the Castle Rock Estate property home, and for Angelo & Wendy’s son Rob Diletti, some of his earliest memories revolve around life in the vineyard.

It seems pre-ordained that Rob would then land somewhere in the world of wine. But his future came with a crucial fork – he went to Charles Sturt University to study winemaking, adding the missing production knowledge to the family business.

After a stint at Mountadam and an instructive vintage in Alsace, Diletti returned to WA and landed at Alkoomi – who had made the Castle Rock Estate wines since the start. By 2001, the Diletti family, with Rob now at the winemaking helm, had committed to a winery on-site, investing in a sizeable 200-tonne facility (completed just four days before vintage).

It didn’t take long for Rob’s star to rise. Len Evans scholar in 2005, Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year in 2006, and finalist in these pages for Winemaker of The Year in both 2012 and 2019, he has become one of WA’s most decorated vignerons.

When you talk with Diletti, the first surprise is that he’s disarmingly humble.

‘In winemaking terms, I don’t believe what I do is any different to anyone else,’ he says candidly. ‘We can process a very good amount of fruit in a good manner.’

Yet, he is no ordinary winemaker and does more than just flip switches on an airbag press.

Porongurup is splendidly remote (390km from Perth, 40km from Albany), and, while blessed with stunning vineyards, has almost no sizeable wineries. As a result, Diletti has become both the frontman for Castle Rock Estate and the de facto Porongurup region winemaker, crafting wines under contract for various local vineyards, including Dukes, 3 Drops, Oranje Tractor, Zarephath & more.

To say the contracting side has been a success is underselling it. The 2017 Dukes Vineyard Riesling, for example, was James Halliday’s 99-point White Wine of the Year in 2018. Or the Zarephath wines, which picked up six trophies in four vintages, while Castle Rock won the Best Exhibitor Trophy at the 2019 & 2020 Wine Show of WA (plus four trophies in 2018).

There’s another side to wine shows for Diletti that’s not just about winning silverware.

‘I think I had my first associate judging gig about 20 years ago’, he said.

‘Living in such a remote region and working by myself, judging is the best personal development possible.’

‘It’s great for networking but also working out where my wine sits nationally. I can’t underestimate how important it is to me and the brand’.

That has seen him judging in Sydney, Perth, Canberra & Cowra, and Diletti also sits on the Wine Show of WA committee – although no longer a judge because it’s ‘too close to home’.

Despite his reputation around the country, you get a distinct impression that Diletti still prefers vineyard life – focusing on ‘a special site’ rather than buying fruit from other regions.

The rest of the Diletti family are still tightly held around the Castle Rock Estate too.

‘Dad (Angelo) is 85 years old this year, yet he’s still involved in the business’, Diletti explains.

‘He packs up boxes, he still spends time in the vineyard, and he makes “suggestions” although he isn’t a winemaker, which is why it works’.

Last year during one of the (gloriously brief) WA lockdowns, Angelo restlessly spent the time when the cellar door was closed, building a stone wall just to prove the work ethic never wanes.

Of course, no discussion of Castle Rock Estate and the Diletti family is complete without talking about Riesling.

The Riesling here has an extra layer of purity that seems almost unmatched outside of the winery walls. You can see that vitality in all four different 2021 Castle Rock Estate Riesling releases, and it defines Diletti as a winemaker.

Although he takes little credit when asked about the secret.

‘We have very good equipment, and we can process Riesling grapes quickly,’ he said casually.

‘People would probably look at our size and look at what we’ve got and think we wouldn’t have that if an account were watching’.

‘We’ve even got our own harvester – which is for 12ha is ridiculous. But it means I can go and get little bits when we want, and it’s not sitting in bins… It’s small things like that which make the difference’.

The multi-level, gravity-fed winery is indeed perfectly set up. But that also discounts Diletti’s approach to Riesling, which is about emphasising freshness and delicacy.

Notably, while Riesling is the king of Porongurup, it’s not the only highlight here.

‘I’m confident in my site to say that we’re always going to make better Riesling and Pinot Noir rather than the regional heroes of Riesling and Shiraz,’ Diletti said.

‘There aren’t many sites in the Great Southern where you can say that. We get the early morning, not afternoon sun, we get these easterlies, and I think our aspect lends itself to Pinot’.

‘I know the perceptions, but I get people to try my wines, and they say, ‘oh yeah, that’s a nice Pinot’’.

Not that it stops there.

‘If someone asks me what wine I’m most proud of, it would be the Diletti Chardonnay,’ he said.

‘It will never be the biggest seller, but I’m proud of where I’ve taken it in 15 years, and it’s a wine I love to drink’.

Finally, Diletti has ‘never been one to make big plans’ and instead comes across as being focussed on family and vineyard. But if you dig deep enough, there are plans afoot.

Rob made 2 barrels of Gruner this year and has replanted Gewurz, which is almost unheard of in Australia when most people are grafting it over. There are bigger horizons too:

‘I probably shouldn’t put this on the record, but I’m actively seeking land at the eastern end of Porungurup with an eastern aspect – that’s very specific, I know.’

‘I don’t want oversupply, and as tiny as Porongurup is.. but I’d really like to have a bit more (wine)’.

Who wouldn’t?