Description
Established in 1981, the winery is situated in the historic township of Auburn at the southern tip of the Clare Valley. Remaining small and focused has allowed Grosset Wines to preserve the character and individuality of the wines, developing a significant international profile by producing wines deemed consistently outstanding, benchmarks in their class.
Jeffrey Grosset, owner and founder, has always been an innovator, challenging tradition and questioning accepted practices. He campaigned to institute the legal integrity of the riesling grape in Australia, was a leading proponent for the introduction of screwcap closures and privately funded research into the subject.
The emphasis is on purity of fruit. The estate vineyards, which are ACO certified organic, are hand tended and each bunch of grapes is harvested at optimum ripeness. The winemaking process is gentle and uncomplicated. With dedication, discipline and the application of knowledge garnered through decades of experience, the result is the finest expression of variety and place.
Jeffrey Grosset is internationally recognised as one of the ‘Top 10 White Winemakers’ (Decanter, UK) and one of the ‘50 Most Influential Winemakers’ (Wine & Spirits, USA) in the world today. Grosset Polish Hill is produced exclusively from the eight-hectare estate-owned Polish Hill Vineyard in the Clare Valley. The gently sloping site is comprised of silt and shallow shales over a thin crust of clay and gravel. This overlays a bed of blue slate, estimated to be around 500-million-years old.
About Alea: Harvested from an estate-owned vineyard dedicated to this distinctive style, this wine is a wonderfully different expression of the variety. ‘‘Inspired by the best dry Rieslings of Europe, Alea is produced in the international style, made to the Grosset standard. From the Rockwood vineyard in Watervale where the likeness to European fruit was first noticed in 2007, this wine offers great versatility; people, food, situations. The flavour and balance of the 2017 vintage are exquisite and the best so far.’ Jeffery Grosset
About the amazing 2017 releases by Jefferey Grosset: “This is a sensational year for Grosset. In addition to having eight wines included in Tyson Stelzer’s ‘Top 150’ for 2017, our team has just returned from the Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2018 at which Grosset Wines received the award for Australia’s ‘Best Value Winery’! Such consistency and acknowledgement is not possible without great vineyards and a dedicated team.
2017 is our third consecutive outstanding vintage and makes 2017, 2016 and 2015 the best run of seasons we have ever experienced. These latest release wines are beautiful expressions of variety, season and site.
The 2017 vintage was a full month later than the previous two. It was almost European in character with much higher rainfall during the growing season. Whether the ability of each of our sites to produce such outstanding and consistent quality wine is due to our focus on the geology when choosing the land to plant, the relatively rare mix of vine clones planted, or the organic principles applied, we may never know. We can say that the combination of these has had a profound impact. This is especially true for our three rieslings; each being from a unique vineyard site.
The resilience of our vines and their ability to consistently produce superior quality wine in a world where climatic conditions are changing is nothing short of a marvel. I recommend this latest release of wines to you.”
From the winery about this wine: “This is an amazing riesling, perhaps the best yet under this label. It has intense lemon grass and lime juice characters which follow through on to the palate. The flavours are intensely concentrated, powerful and show incredible depth. The vibrant natural acidity balances the sweetness and lingers long and dry on the finish. Ageing Potential: First vintage 2012 so as yet unknown, however probably 15 years.”
RRP $40
(Also available as Special Dozen Buy – click here)