This wine is a wonderful introduction to the wines of Castagna. Showing an array of rich, ripe, plumy flavours, black berries and savoury flashes of smoky bacon, it is a blend of Shiraz a little Viognier and a spoonful of Sangiovese. The wine combines a powerful earthiness with tones of saddle leather, dried herbs and violets – it speaks powerfully of the land from whence it came. The fruit is rich plum with charry overtones, the palate is dominated by sweet black fruit, and, as always in Castagna, very fine grain tannins. Outstanding value. (original notes)
Patience is a virtue. Having revisited the 2003 Sauvage recently, I thought it might be useful to share my thoughts on its progress. Upon opening I was delighted by its development. Slowly but surely the vineyard characters are starting to emerge – black cherry, liquorice and floral notes of damp roses now coming to the fore. Still very much in the riper, sweeter fruit spectrum but I can now see the vineyard’s terroir winning out – a lesson to be learnt: good wine always tells its own story in its own time. On the palate the impact is of lush, ripe, black berries with masses of silky fine tannins. It is evolving into a wine that delivers warmth and assurance which will provide drinking pleasure over the next 4 to 6 years.
