Jeffrey Grosset on the 2011 Clare Valley vintage – “a wonderful year,” plus tasting notes on his truly remarkable 2011 Rieslings

Stephanie Toole of Mount Horrocks‘ excitement about 2011’s Clare Valley Rieslings came through loud and clear in yesterday’s video post (here).

This year, she’s got competition for her Cordon Cut sweetie from partner Jeffrey Grosset who, with 100% botrytis infection in one vineyard parcel, made “a Trockenbeerenauslese from Australia.” It’s his 5th noble late harvest Riesling in 31 years and, with just 500 cases, Grosset’s loyal cellar door following will make light work of it!

As for Grosset’s renowned dry single vineyard Rieslings, Polish Hill and Springvale Watervale, in a vintage he describes as “a wonderful year…with all the benefit of moderate weather,” they are magnificently concentrated.  Tensile and muscular, they’re seemingly charged to the gills with minerality and dry extract.

Covering lots of ground in his nine minute interview, Grosset touches on weather cycles (he believes 2011 marks “a natural swing in weather back into a cool cycle,” like the 1980s), the benefits in 2011 of “managing the vineyards on a European approach” and, turning to the bigger picture, the need for Australia to focus on making “wines that reflect place and at least the variety.”  

Click here to watch the interview and see below for my notes on the 2011 Rieslings, plus current releases from previous vintages.

Grosset Off-Dry Watervale Riesling 2011 (Clare Valley)

An engaging, vivacious nose and palate with talc top notes tickles and re-tickles the taste buds with tangy, super juicy layers of greengage and tropical citrus fruit.  Delicious and, like the maiden 2010, wears its 16g/l of residual sugar very lightly.

Grosset Springvale Watervale Riesling 2011 (Clare Valley)

Wonderfully perfumed with lightly musky rose petals and bath salts it might be but, make no mistake, there’s plenty of muscle, tight clenched at that, to this Watervale Riesling.  In the mouth there’s a long and lingering quinine edge to its visceral lemon pip palate.  Terrific palate presence and length.

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2011 (Clare Valley)

Unwavering in its focus, the  tightly wound 2011 Polish Hill is as precise as a Swiss watch.  Chiselled with minerals, its tensile palate builds in intensity to a mouthwatering lime sluiced finish of resounding length.  Outstanding.

Grosset Semillon/ Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills)

Exceptionally precise and intense in 2011, this perfumed, pretty floral Semillon/ Sauvignon blend has great fresh cut green apple bite.  Crisp but but insinuating, it’s fine and long.  Impressive.

Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay 2009 (Adelaide Hills)

No surprises that Riesling guru Jeff Grosset is behind this lean, finely honed Chardonnay.  Delicate yet intense with great purity to its white peach fruit and a lick of cinnamon ‘n cedar oak, it’s possessed of great line and length. Lovely salty/mineral mouth cleansing finish.

Grosset Gaia 2007 (Clare Valley)

In a vintage particularly affected by drough, the Gaia 2007 Cabernet blend is relatively rich and forward with ripe smudgy tannins.  But it’s leavened with bright, perfumed cedary spicy layers of blueberry and blackberry fruit as well as dark plum and chocolate.  Good length and levity.