Grosset, `Apiana` Clare Valley 2015
Country: Australia Region: South Australia Vintage: 2015
Category: White Wine Colour: White Grapes Fiano & Semillion
Producer: Grosset
"For over 36 years, the Grosset Springvale and Polish Hill Rieslings have shown a consistency of style and quality that has made this one of Australia's greatest wineries.
The 'hard rock' blue slate of the Polish Hill site results in wines that are steely and magnificently age-worthy, while the red loam of the Springvale vineyard gives more open and easily accessible – if no less complex – wines. Such is Jeffrey Grosset's attention to detail that he noted a small strip (22 metres wide by 300 metres long) in his Springvale vineyard that produced more generously flavoured wines due to a different soil. As a result, he decided to produce a different wine from this site, Alea, which adds to his great canon of Rieslings.
As the story of Alea illustrates, Jeffrey is fanatical about the quality of his vineyards, all of which are certified organic and are hand-tended. In the winery, each process is gentle and uncomplicated. No finings are used and sulphur is the only addition. By combining a disciplined approach and decades of experience, Grosset consistently achieves the purest expression of variety and place.
Fascinated by the art of blending, Jeff has trialled shiraz-based wines for years, resulting in the newly released Nereus. With just a small amount of Nero d'Avola, it has touch of perfume and freshness, with generous bramble and savoury overtones. It joins the Apiana - a blend of Fiano and Semillon - and his precise and pure Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, with the latter variety sourced from his Adelaide Hills site, adding an aromatic dimension to the Clare Valley grown Semillon. His Gaia remains one of Australia's best Cabernet blends, while the Pinot Noir is scented, supple and alluring.
Jeffrey's keen interest in distilling led him to make Grosset45, a unique spirit made from distilled Riesling wine. No botanicals, flavours or colours were used, resulting in a pure, clean spirit which reflects the character and aromas of the variety."
Product Features: Certified Organic
Winemaker: Jeffrey Grosset
Vineyards:
The vines are planted on hard, slate-like red rock with a poor orange/red loam for topsoil, and are situated on a north-eastern extreme of the Watervale at 460m altitude. The Fiano is very low yielding (less than one bottle per vine), while the Semillon is low to medium vigour. The Fiano fits neatly into Grosset’s philosophy of biodiversity and complexity in the vineyard.
Vinification:
"The emphasis through winemaking is on achieving purity of fruit. The winemaking process is gentle and uncomplicated. The fruit was crushed and de-stemmed so the free run juice could be extracted. The Fiano and Semillon were fermented separately, and blended to taste. No fining agents were used.
Tasting Notes:
"Restrained dried herb and beeswax aromas on the nose. Impressive weight and power on the palate in a dry and savoury style. Mouth-puckering intensity, generous flavour and lively zesty acidity.
Food Suggestion: Try it with barbecued fish, roasted quail or grilled chicken.
Closure: Stelvin ABV:12.5% Acidity [g/l]: 6.7
