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.
This ‘hard rock’ site was originally part of a larger estate but was considered to be of limited agricultural value and so was sold off. The vines here struggle to draw nutrients from the soil, so the bunches and berries are small, and the fruit flavours lean and austere. Indeed, this vineyard exemplifies how old-rock profiles can contribute to a wine’s character. Relatively close-planted to three clones (two German and one local), this ACO Certified Organic vineyard is completely tended by hand; hand-pruning, shoot and crop adjustment and hand harvesting ensures the delivery of pristine quality fruit. No tillage is employed and no fertilisers are introduced: a mix of natural and introduced clovers and grasses are maintained between the vines and allowed to self-seed.
Since the first striking example of Polish Hill Riesling in 1981, Grosset has maintained a gentle and uncomplicated winemaking approach which focuses on the purity of the fruit. After harvest, the stems are removed and the thick-skinned yellow-tinged berries are lightly split, with only the free run (first cut) juice being used. This, combined with the challenging rocky profile of the site and consequent low yields, results in an average of two bottles of wine per vine being produced. The must is cold-settled before being decanted off. Fermentation and settling on yeast lees occurs over a period of months. Multiple small scale ferments proceed according to clone and vine age, and occur exclusively in inert containers, guaranteeing a purity of fruit expression. They are later assessed and the final blend assembled. Wines from this vineyard are never fined, nor is oak used. The result is the purest possible example of varietal character composed from this unique site: concentrated aromatic wines of great structure, with intense citrus flavours and cool slate characters, finishing long and dry.
From the winery about the vintage: Our harvest was down dramatically due to a lack of rain in winter as well as through the growing season, plus some variable weather at critical times (flowering and set). The resultant bunches and berries were tiny. Fortunately, there was no fire close to us, so there is no chance of smoke taint affecting our wines.”
“There’s an initial shyness on the nose, not surprising given the history of Grosset Polish Hill; and more restrained than some recent releases. This initial restraint gives way to a slowly evolving, yet increasingly intense, pure lime perfume. The palate is tight yet features amazingly intense lime pith and lime juice flavours while the impressive weight and steely backbone are characteristic of the style. It finishes crisp, clean and mouth-puckering: the length is staggering.”
Intense citrus and cool slate characters. Bone dry (zero fermentable sugar), intense and powerful with persistent length. 12.5% alc.”
ACCOLADES: Langton’s Classification VII : Rated ‘Exceptional’; Wine Ark : ‘Australia’s Most Collected White Wine’,
95 points, Tyson Stelzer, WBM, November/December 2020 “In the most extreme seasons, the greatest sites prove their mettle, and in this drought vintage, the precision and purity of Polish Hill increases the daylight between this and mere mortal Clare Valley Rieslings. Delightful apple blossom perfume meets pristine lemon purity, steadied by precise acid line that transcends the fine phenolic grip of the season. It hovers, larger and lighter than life.”
96 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review, September 2020 “Light, bright yellow hue. Reserved, discreet, subtly yeasty aromas, bright and clean and scented with dried flowers. It’s very intense in the mouth, showing concentration and drive, the juicy fruit of the fore-palate morphing into a firm, dry back-palate and a long tail. An excellent wine, of superior fruit intensity and persistence. Great cellaring potential.”
97 points. Erin Larkin, erinlarkin.com.au, August 2020: “This is a wine that is overlaid on itself: citrus fruit, jasmine florals and pith are draped over white pepper, jasmine tea and sea salt; these layers are fixed to the firm acid and phenolic structure that is the flesh and body of this wine. This is a tightly packed, savoury, serious, searing riesling with authority and gravitas. The length of flavour is something to behold. There is a lightness and a purity in 2020 that confirms life and lift – where the ’19 had a warmth and sunshine in it – this is dappled shade and cool breeze.”
95 points, Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Real Review, August 2020: “It’s forty years since a younger Jeffrey Grosset set about creating his Clare Valley enterprise, originally with four tanks, a few barrels, no estate vineyards and plenty of ambition. His enterprise has grown into one of the district’s benchmark wineries since, always synonymous with high quality and true regional identity.
For many, the Grosset highpoint is Polish Hill, a wine that’s become a flagship for Australian dry riesling. The 2020 has just arrived, and like past vintages it’s certainly age-worthy, but it seems more precocious in style than usual, which makes it a pretty impressive thing to sip in this first flush of youth.
The colour is pale straw with a greenish tinge and the nose offers concentration that sets it apart from most peers. Aromas of lime sherbet, pineapple, spice, musky florals and steel seem riper and richer than usual, and the palate follows suit with great depth and minerally power, tingly acid backbone, firm structure and lingering finish. It will no doubt build more complexity in bottle, but it may be a Polish Hill to drink a little earlier than many previous vintages.”
RRP $70 **SPECIAL 6 PACK BUY … Only $61.99 when you buy 6 of this wine
