Jeff Grosset has made a worldwide reputation for his Clare Valley Rieslings. There is nothing quite like sitting in the tasting room and looking at them side by side, a tribute to 35 vintages from this winery. All these wines are from the 2015 vintage:
Polish Hill, 12.7%: slightly atypical for Clare, this is mineral and tense on the nose but once on the palate, there is remarkable clean, green apple and floral notes, with great concentration. Grown on shallow, slatey soil, where the vines put down roots which then have to go sideways because of impenetrable rock. Great ageing potential.
Springvale, 12.7%: classic Clare Valley for its bright, attractive floral and riper apple nose but also with austerity. This wine is the converse of Polish Hill in that it starts out in this fruit phase but then on the palate, there is a mineral undertow of real power. Grown on deeper, loamy soils.
Alea, 12.5%: a small production from challenging, limestone soils. More rounded on the nose and palate with some peachy fruit and lemon curd. As time passes the floral theme begins to emerge. Very slightly off-dry in style or at least softened by 12g/l residual sugar, barely perceptible on the palate due to the high acidity, but it does lift the fruit.
These wines are clear expressions of their place as the winemaking is very simple. Handpicked, free-run juice only, no skin contact, fermented with neutral selected yeasts in stainless steel vats, unfined; fermentation in February (typically), bottled in September for freshness.
Grosset also makes other wines, some which are equally in demand and basically sold out. Apiana is an innovative Fiano/Semillon blend; a Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend; Chardonnay and Pinot from their cooler Adelaide Hills vineyards; the cult Bordeaux blend called Gaia and finally Grosset 45, a distilled spirit made from free-run Riesling juice. But in the end, it is the Rieslings which are the thing here.
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