GROSSETGROSSET SPRING RELEASES 2012 2012: A Truly Exceptional Year The 2012 vintage has turned out to be one of the best experienced at Grosset. Weather conditions were ideal. Hand tending of our organically managed vineyards once again included fruit thinning early in the season. This ensured that the crops of riesling and semillon were at the ideal levels. Warm sunny conditions and the absence of rain late in the season meant the vintage was very compacted and quite early. Eighty percent of the harvest occurred within a nine day period. Vintage was therefore the most intense ever, yet nothing was compromised. Alea The most recent addition to the Grosset portfolio, the Off-dry Riesling will now be known as Alea (pronounced Ah-lee-uh), the name of the vineyard from which it is sourced. In 2000, we conducted a detailed geological survey of the Grosset property at Watervale's highest point. On the eastern side, it highlighted a narrow (300 metre by 22 metre / 15 rows wide) corridor of hard red rock (a bit like slate) with a poor orangey red loam for topsoil which I believed would be suitable for riesling. This became the 'Alea' vineyard, after the Greek goddess of wisdom, courage and agriculture, Athena Alea (Athena the Exalted). Six years later, I noticed that the flavour in the first grapes produced reminded me of some of the great European rieslings which were not completely dry. Inspired by this and unfazed by the low Grosset Alea Vineyard acceptance of this style in Australia at the time, I decided to make the wine that I thought best suited the vineyard. It was 10 years (2010) before the first wine, labelled simply ‘Off-dry’, was released. Now after another two years it seems appropriate to give the wine the name of the vineyard. Jeffrey Grosset 02205 NEW NEW GX.indd 1 8/08/12 3:59 PM Grosset Alea Riesling 2012 InIn differentdifferent languages,languages, AleaAlea meansmeans ‘high’, 'high', ‘exalted’,'exalted', ‘to'to ascend’ascend' and and is is associated associated with with Athena, Athena, who who in in Greek Greek mythologymythology waswas Zeus’Zeus' daughterdaughter andand thethe goddessgoddess ofof wisdom,wisdom, couragecourage andand agriculture. agriculture. As As with with the the expression expression ‘Catherine‘Catherine the Great’,Great’ the the epithet epithet often often used used when when ta talkinglking about about the the Greek Greek goddess, goddess was was Athena Athena Alea. Alea. As you'd expect from such a great vintage, the 2012 Grosset Alea is an exemplary wine. Barely sweet enough to be rated off-dry it is fresh, bright and vibrant with mid-palate softness, a whisper of lingering sweetness, and a crisp, dry, lime juice acidity that provides the wine with balance. There is succulence, tight structure, plenty of power, and a delicious lingering aftertaste. A wine of substance, suited but certainly not limited to dishes of Asian influence, it is just a touch drier but otherwise very similar to last year’s Off-dry, and a wonderfully different expression of the variety when compared to the Springvale and Polish Hill. Grosset Springvale Riesling 2012 This single site riesling is sourced from the six hectare estate vineyard off Springvale Road at one of Watervale's highest elevations (460 metres above sea level). It is situated on a gentle mainly north-facing slope where the vines thrive in red loamy soil over limestone. The Grosset Riesling from Watervale continues to surprise in blind tastings by moving closer in quality terms to its Polish Hill sibling. In 2012, although both show tightness and minerality, there's a (relative) plumpness to the Springvale and a slightly softer, more seductive texture that suggests many will prefer it in its youth to the slightly more austere Polish Hill. The 2012 Grosset Springvale Riesling is a wonderful balancing act placing restrained and savoury minerally slatey characters in juxtaposition with intense, pristine flavours of lemon zest and lime juice; delicate white flower and talc aromatics contrast with tightness of structure, full-throttle power, and dry zingy acidity. At this stage, it appears the tightest and most ageworthy of the Springvale Rieslings. Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2012 Look on the wine lists of Australia's finest restaurants and you'll be sure to find the Grosset Polish Hill Riesling, often with more than one vintage on offer: such is the strength its reputation has amassed over its 32 consecutive vintages back to 1981. Two key factors that delight sommeliers are its consistency and its capacity to age. Given the strength of the 2012 vintage in the Clare Valley, this release of the Polish Hill may well rival the 2002 and 1982 as the greatest ever. The 2012 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling has all the hallmarks of greatness: it's tightly constrained, uber- concentrated, steely, and zingy. There are lemon blossom and white flower aromatics, vibrant lemon pith and lime zest flavours with shaley minerality, taut and tightly coiled, before a long, ultra-dry finish featuring refreshing natural acidity. It is pristine, seamless, wonderfully detailed, and has great line and length. It may well be drinking at its peak in 2019 though (well cellared) it can be aged for much longer. 02205 NEW NEW GX.indd 2 8/08/12 3:59 PM Grosset Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2012 - 20th Release Even though many critics regard this wine as among the country's finest examples of the style, tasting this delicious white, it's often possible to think that it doesn't get enough credit for its quality. In years like 2012, it seems to have added another dimension to the classic Australian style. It's so tight, nervy, fine, powerful and minerally. The framework of the style hasn't varied over twenty harvests: it seamlessly melds Clare semillon with Adelaide Hills sauvignon. The current release is a blend of estate-grown Clare semillon (70%) and single-site Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc (30%). Given the comments about the vintage, it's scarcely surprising that Jeff believes it's one of his best ever Semillon Sauvignon Blancs. It's probably a wine that will age well but after it hits its straps (it's so tightly coiled that it will improve over the next six months) few will be able to resist the temptation to drink it at its freshest and most vibrant. The 2012 Grosset Semillon Sauvignon Blanc has delicate, restrained white flower aromatics, intense and pure white peach, nectarine and lychees flavours, a lean and taut structure before a racy finish featuring slatey natural acidity. It is juicy, tangy and exhuberant: primal, expressive and thrilling. The Latest News: ‘Best of the Best’ in Halliday’s ‘Australian Wine Companion 2013’ July 2012 - Multiple listings in the ‘Best of the Best’ plus scores of between 94 and 97 points for all Grosset wines have once again been reported in James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2013. It is indeed rare for a winery to achieve such consistently high scores. For full tasting notes, please visit www.grosset.com.au/news. Three Grosset Wines in Langton’s ‘Top 100 Australian Wine Brands’ May 2012 - Langton’s, Australia’s leading auction house includes three Grosset wines in its first listing of the Top 100 Australian Wine Brands of 2011 By Demand in May 2012. Joining the likes of Penfolds, Henschke and Cullen, Grosset Wines is recognised for its Gaia, Springvale Riesling and Polish Hill Riesling which ranked 24 of out 100. It is no surprise the Polish Hill and Springvale are highly demanded, as they both appear in the Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine V (Exceptional and Outstanding respectively). Jeffrey Grosset found the listing of the Gaia both “exciting and reassuring that the uniqueness and sheer quality of the Gaia has been acknowledged in this way”. Grosset Gaia is an enduring classic with a reputation for aging, as a recent tasting of 20 consecutive vintages clearly shows. For details of the 20 year Gaia tasting, please visit www.grosset.com.au/news. Vertical Tasting of Polish Hill and Springvale March 2012 - For those members who have been asking how certain vintages are maturing; an independent team of enthusiasts has lined up eleven vintages of Grosset Springvale and fifteen vintages of Grosset Polish Hill for critical assessment. To view the full list of wines and scores, visit www.grosset.com.au/news. 02205 NEW NEW GX.indd 3 8/08/12 3:59 PM What the Press are Saying: Grosset Springvale 2011 What the Press are Saying: GrossetHuon Hooke Springvale Gourmet Traveller 2011 WINE February/March 2012 - 95 points Excellent penetration, line and length. Lots of nuances: dried and fresh flowers, and herbs; a hint of yeastiness, subtle spices and citrus fruits. Intense and lively in the Huon Hooke Gourmet Traveller WINE February/March 2012 - 95 points Excellent penetration, line and length. Lots of mouth, refined and taut, with energy and length. nuances: dried and fresh flowers, and herbs; a hint of yeastiness, subtle spices and citrus fruits. Intense and lively in the Sarah Ahmed (UK) www.thewinedetective.co.uk/blog 21st September 2011 Wonderfully perfumed with lightly musky mouth, refined and taut, with energy and length. rose petals and bath salts it might be but, make no mistake, there’s plenty of muscle, tight clenched at that, to this Sarah Ahmed (UK) www.thewinedetective.co.uk/blog 21st September 2011 Wonderfully perfumed with lightly musky Watervale Riesling. In the mouth there’s a long and lingering quinine edge to its visceral lemon pip palate. Terrific palate rose petals and bath salts it might be but, make no mistake, there’s plenty of muscle, tight clenched at that, to this presence and length.