From the Cutting Room to the Vineyard
Julian Castagna spent sixteen years as a filmmaker — directing, producing, running his own production company in London, making advertising films in Paris, Rome, New York, Los Angeles. Then the industry shifted. "Suddenly everyone wanted me to prove that something would work, that an idea would sell. I'm not good at that. I found myself in board meetings trying to be cleverer than everyone else rather than trying to make the best stuff that I could make." In 1996, he closed up shop. "If I was going to change my life, I needed to have a chance at making a world-class wine." He moved his wife Carolann and two young boys into a trailer at 500 metres elevation in the Beechworth foothills. The whole family planted Shiraz and Viognier vines, built a winery and their future home. He became the first in Australia to commercially plant Sangiovese — a tribute to his Italian heritage. He became one of the first Australians to farm biodynamically. "They thought I was this crazy hippie from Sydney," he laughs. But the wines went from good to great. The Genesis Syrah-Viognier is floral, textural, ethereal — more Côte Rôtie than Barossa Shiraz. The La Chiave Sangiovese is reminiscent of Brunello di Montalcino while treading its own path. Two and a half decades in, Castagna's caravan days are over. But his passion for Beechworth, and the distinctive wines that can be coaxed from it, hasn't waned.
From St Albans to the World Stage
Julian Castagna was born in Italy but moved to Australia at age two. He grew up in St Albans, a suburb of Melbourne, and attended St Albans High School where he developed an early interest in drama and theatre. His entry into film came through the ABC — he started as a mail boy, then directed the popular television music show 'The Hit Parade' and ran one of Melbourne's first discotheques. But it was in England that his filmmaking career truly blossomed. He established his own production company in London, making advertising films that took him to Paris, Rome, New York, and Los Angeles. For sixteen years, he lived the life of a globe-trotting creative.
But something shifted. The industry changed — "everyone wanted me to prove that something would work." Julian and his wife Carolann, a film producer and writer, had been flirting with the idea of bringing their kids up Australian. The final straw made it easy to close up shop and find a little place in the country where they could have a horse, a garden, and a few grapevines for Julian to putter around with. "Nothing serious," he figured. He could do some freelance work now and then. They ended up with a little house with a peaked roof and a small barn in Beechworth — a still-unknown, therefore affordable, territory in north-east Victoria.
The first vines went into the ground in 1997 — Shiraz and Viognier, with help from neighbour Rick Kinzbrunner of Giaconda. Julian's first vintage was 1998, made with purchased fruit. He quickly realised two things: he was hooked on winemaking, and he was good at it. "I realised straight away that I had strong opinions about things and how they should work." He became the first in Australia to commercially plant Sangiovese — all Brunello clones, a tribute to his Italian heritage. He also planted Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, and an ever-expanding cast of white varieties. The initial plantings were 70% Shiraz, 20% Sangiovese, and 10% Viognier. Today, the range spans Syrah, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Riesling, and Savagnin.
"If I was going to change my life, I needed to have a chance at making a world-class wine."
— Julian Castagna
Granite, Quartz & Biodynamics from Day One
The Castagna Vineyard sits at 500 metres elevation, five and a half kilometres outside the historic town of Beechworth in north-east Victoria, high in the foothills of the Australian Alps. The soil mainly consists of decomposed granitic-loam with a predominance of quartz particles on a base of clay. The climate is distinctly continental — hot days and cool nights during the important part of the growing season. This is not Burgundy, despite what some assumed in the early days because of Kinzbrunner's success with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This is something else entirely — a unique terroir that Julian recognised as having remarkable similarity to areas of Tuscany.
Biodynamics was not the original plan. It was a fluke. Almost as soon as the vineyard was planted, the vines were attacked by African black beetles. Julian bought the recommended chemical treatment, but when he read the label — skull and crossbones, protective gear required, see a doctor immediately if spilled on skin — he thought, "This is crazy. I've changed my life to make one of the world's serious wines and I'm about to destroy the soil. No way!" He did some research and found that the beetle feeds on grass roots. He had been advised to clear the grass from the mid-rows; as soon as he let it grow back, the beetles returned to the grass and left the vines alone. Problem solved, sans nasties.
That experience propelled Julian down the path of biodynamics. He travelled the world talking to growers — James Millton in New Zealand was a particularly powerful influence, writing Julian a five-page letter that they still refer to today. By the time they'd solved the beetle problem, Julian was hooked. The vineyard has been farmed biodynamically from the very beginning — fully certified both organic and biodynamic. Castagna is one of only five Australian producers invited to be a member of La Renaissance des Appellations / Return To Terroir, an international group of the world's best biodynamic grape growers. "We make wines of terroir," Julian says. "Terroir is not only about soil but the whole eco-system."
The vineyard sits at 500m elevation in the foothills of the Australian Alps. Decomposed granitic-loam soils with a predominance of quartz particles on a base of clay. Distinctly continental climate — hot days, cool nights. The altitude and diurnal shift give wines of remarkable freshness and finesse, even in warmer vintages.
Certified organic and biodynamic since the beginning. The African black beetle incident — solved by letting grass grow back rather than spraying chemicals — was the catalyst. About a billion organisms per gram of soil. Hand-pruned, hand-picked. Cropped at less than two tons per acre. Indigenous yeast only.
One of only five Australian members of La Renaissance des Appellations / Return To Terroir — an invitation-only international group of the world's best biodynamic grape growers. The others: Jasper Hill, Cullen, Ngeringa, and Cobaw Ridge. This is not marketing; it is recognition of farming at the highest level.
Julian's eldest son Adam is now a winemaker himself, running the Adam's Rib label from younger vines and purchased fruit. His other son Alexis returned to the film business as a director of photography in Sydney. Carolann, Julian's wife, is a film producer and writer. The Castagna home and winery sit on the same property — a hilltop idyll that has replaced the London production office.
Wine Grower, Not Winemaker
"I don't like the term winemaker; what I am is a wine grower," Julian says. "I think that wine is made in the vineyard, not in the winery. Lots of people who make very good wine would disagree with me, but for me, the secret is just to let the vineyard tell you its story." The winemaking is very traditional: hand-pruned, hand-picked, indigenous yeast only, minimal interference. The key to achieving vitality and complexity is combining biodynamic farming with a light touch in the cellar.
The Genesis Syrah is made from five different clones, all progeny of the original 1850s stock imported into Australia from the Rhône — "Australia is indeed fortunate to have available such wonderful rare material." The wine is co-fermented with Viognier, Côte Rôtie-style. The La Chiave Sangiovese is made in the style of Brunello di Montalcino — but with a touch more fruit. Julian was unhappy with the quality of the single UC Davis clone that dominated Australian Sangiovese, so he sourced Brunello clones — whether through a neighbour's suspicious vine or a midnight mission to Montalcino, the result is a Sangiovese of extraordinary depth and authenticity.
Elevage varies between 18–20 months using only the very best, tight-grain French oak available — about half of which is new each year. The wines are never fined or filtered. New oak is kept to a minimum relative to the quality of the fruit. Everything is done by hand, with very little electricity. Gentle crushing of whole clusters and some destemmed grapes. Fermentations take place at their own speed. Pressing is done by hand with a basket press. The results speak for themselves: wines that range from very good to tremendous, clearly reflecting both the soil and the season as well as the vision of the person who has made them. Wines of philosophy and of place.
The Genesis Revelation
When the 1999 Genesis Syrah was entered blind into The Advertiser's Top 100 tasting in South Australia, it won the highest points out of thousands of wines tasted — from two-year-old vines, with only one bunch per vine. "Not like any other Australian Shiraz," the reviewer wrote. "Creamy, opulent, luxurious, harmonized essence of Shiraz, almost leaden in its incredible authority and weight. The fruit simply melts into a pot of red gold." Julian's response: "This is off two-year-old vines. I took one bunch off every vine. That's all. I think you'll see that these wines are of this vineyard." The 2006 Genesis scored 97 points from Ned Goodwin MW, who described it as "tight, compact, wonderful tension... strongly suggesting that this will be a wine of the ages." The 2017 Genesis scored 97 — "a great nose, superlative before it hits the palate." These are not big, over-oaked, fruit bombs. These are Syrah with the soul of Pinot Noir.
Old-World Wines, New-World Fruit
Julian Castagna's mantra is simple: "We make classic old-world wine with new-world fruit." There is no doubt the old-world wines have had a great influence in creating his benchmark. Burgundy, Tuscany, the Rhône — these are his reference points. But the fruit is unmistakably Australian: ripe, concentrated, and expressive of the unique granitic, quartz-filled soils of Beechworth. The result is a hybrid style that defies easy categorisation — wines that feel European in their structure and savouriness, but Australian in their generosity and fruit purity.
Julian is a force of nature in Australian wine. He was an early proponent of biodynamic viticulture, helped to promote Sangiovese, and championed a lighter, more elegant Shiraz style at a time when Australian Shiraz was synonymous with jammy power. His humble, low-intervention approach produces bright, lively wines that are served in some of the world's best restaurants. He has exhibited his wines in Bordeaux, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, London, and Brussels as part of invitation-only 'best of the best' exhibitions featuring biodynamic wines from a dozen countries.
In 2004, Julian organised the first International Biodynamic Wine Forum at La Trobe University in Beechworth, attracting viticulturists from as far afield as Chile and France. In 2015, he organised the Return to Terroir tasting at Melbourne Town Hall. He was Chair of the Biodynamic Association at the time. "Tell the truth, and let people work the rest out for themselves" is his marketing philosophy. He prefers to taste wine with reviewers rather than send samples — which means he is not reviewed as much these days, but the wines speak for themselves. The maxim that "Before a wine can be great, it must first be true" seems, at last, to be embraced by many wine reviewers as well as the general wine-buying public.
"[Beechworth's] warm days and cool nights make Syrah sing. If what you like is Syrah with the soul of Pinot Noir."
— Julian Castagna
The Castagna Range
Castagna produces three distinct ranges of wines — each with its own niche, but all made with respect and finesse. The Estate and Cru wines are obsessively grown and made, very much the voice of the vineyard — from estate fruit grown biodynamically. The Cru wines are only released when vintage smiles upon them. The Adam's Rib range is made from younger vines, sometimes augmented with fruit bought from neighbours — flavoursome and textural yet approachable and affordable, but always compelling. The Growers Selection is made from local fruit from growers who care, giving Julian the opportunity to play with varieties he likes but doesn't yet grow. All wines are made with indigenous yeast, minimal sulfur, no fining, no filtration, and a commitment to truth above all else.