Grosset Springvale Watervale Riesling 2009

James Halliday Top 100 Wines of 2009

The Grosset Springvale Riesling may sit somewhat in the shadow of its Polish Hill sibling but it is in its own right one of the benchmark rieslings of the Clare Valley. It is renowned for its aromatic complexity, pure fruit flavours and mouth-watering slatey acidity. The wine is fresh and mineral, typified by lemon curd, lime and chamomile aromas and generous flavours. A classic acid cut runs through the core, providing superb line and mineral length. The first vintage of the Grosset Springvale Riesling was produced in 1981.

"There's a strength to this Grosset Springvale Riesling that is compelling. The strength comes from the wine's length. Though you could argue that it's a textural thing too. Of course the flavours are along lime juice and slate lines, with gentle notes of apple blossoms too. But the flavours aren't the thing. It's the drive and the thrust and the mouthfeel that makes you want to keep putting it in your mouth, over and over."  Campbell Mattinson

"The 2009 vintage will mark the 29th consecutive vintage of Grosset Watervale riesling, referred to in recent years as 'Springvale' after the estate-owned vineyard. With its listing as one of the 'Top 5 Most Collected Australian White Wines' by Wine Ark plus the reaffirmation of its 'Excellent' rating by Langtons, both in August this year, Grosset Springvale appears to have finally arrived. One thing the 2009 vintage shows in particular is that it continues to resemble the Polish Hill more than ever before, certainly in terms of quality and finesse. The 2009 vintage appears to have outstanding potential. Certainly, Grosset is grinning quietly.

The 2009 Grosset Springvale is quite closed and restrained at present, has pure intense lemon juice and lime flavours with slatey, minerally notes, is powerful, tight and steely with taut, dry, mouth-puckering acidity that lingers. It is fine and succulent with a zesty persistence that takes the wine deep and long."  Grosset

Expert reviews

"Full-ish yellow colour; lovely balance of toasty developed and fresh floral aromas, no kerosene, the palate rich and full, generously flavoured thanks to age development, with superb balance and persistence. Gorgeous wine, nearly fully mature. At its best now."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 97 points (Tasted Aug 2022)

"Fine and stylish, long and chalky, with first-rate freshness and focus. It's already very open, with a perfume of lavender, fresh pear and lime juice lifted by a profound spiciness. Its elegant and piercingly fresh palate of tangy, crystalline fruit overlies a sherbet-like chalkiness and underlying lemony notes, finishing bright and clear. Drink: 2021-2029."  Jeremy Oliver – 97 points

"Jeffrey Grosset is known around the globe as a past master when it comes to Riesling. That this is the 29th vintage comes as no surprise. Fragrant lime, herb and spice aromas lead into an incisive and tightly focused palate, with delicious lime and green apple fruit coursing through to the finish. From Clare Valley Drink to 2020 with steamed mussels."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 96 points and Top 100 of 2009 

"Some pear and banana, but also deep, searing lime: a touch of blue cheese (all good). Seriously deep. Plenty on the palate: the essence of Clare riesling. Will build in bottle and very young."  Tim White, Australian Financial Review – 94 (96) points [10/10 enjoyment in seven or so years]

"The long, cool growing season of 2009 afforded Jeffrey Grosset the luxury of picking this wine slightly earlier than usual, a decision that he describes as 'controversial.' Bucking the trend of rising alcohol among many growers in recent vintages, Grosset's finished wine dispels any uncertainty – this is a pristine, beautifully poised, green apple and lime accented Riesling with great minerality. An extremely fine vintage for Springvale and one that will be very long-lived."  Tyson Stelzer – 95 points

"There's a strength to this Grosset Springvale Riesling that is compelling. The strength comes from the wine's length. Though you could argue that it's a textural thing too. Of course the flavours are along lime juice and slate lines, with gentle notes of apple blossoms too. But the flavours aren't the thing. It's the drive and the thrust and the mouthfeel that makes you want to keep putting it in your mouth, over and over. Drink: 2009 – 2015."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 94 points

Awards

James Halliday Top 100 Wines of 2009 

Springvale vineyard 

The Grosset Springvale Vineyard is a six‑hectare, organically certified vineyard situated off Springvale Road in the Clare Valley. It is a hilltop site at one of Watervale's highest elevations (460 metres above sea level), with high exposure to sunlight. The vineyard is part of a much larger property at Watervale, however, the balance of the property is being progressively returned to native vegetation as greater species diversity facilitates natural pest and disease management.

The vineyard is relatively close-planted at 2,500 vines per hectare and produces an average of just two-and-a-half bottles of wine per vine. The vineyard comprises three clones of Riesling, Clone GM110 (tight bunches, floral, Germanic and spiced), Clone 156 (rare clone from Jesuit inspiration, loose bunch, mellow, spiced, limes, steely) and Clone GM198 (most commonly used in Australia; spiced, luscious, generous). The sturdy and resilient vines produce compact yellow-green bunches of moderate sized berries.

The Springvale Vineyard is a unique viticultural site due to its geology, relative isolation and high altitude. The thin topsoils are red loams interspersed with shale over limestone and, atypical for this sub-region,  the vines are deeply rooted into slate bedrock. This formation dates back many hundred million years. There is a north-south fault line on the eastern border that limits the vineyard's expansion.

The cool-fermented Grosset Springvale Riesling is renowned for its aromatic complexity, pure fruit flavours and mouth-watering slatey acidity. The wine is fresh and mineral, typified by lemon curd, lime and chamomile aromas and generous flavours. A classic acid cut runs through the core, providing superb line and mineral length.

 The four Grosset estate-owned vineyards

About Jeffrey Grosset

"Jeffrey Grosset wears the unchallenged mantle of Australia's foremost riesling maker. Grosset's pre-eminence is recognised both domestically and internationally."  James Halliday

Grosset was 15 when his father, an electrician, came home with a bottle of wine and shared it with the family. It was riesling and Jeffrey was gobsmacked. So began the Grosset story. The following year Jeffrey enrolled at Roseworthy Agricultural College, completing an Agriculture degree in 1973 and an Oenology degree in 1975. At the age of 21 Jeffrey started work at Seppelt Great Western, before heading to a German winery with a 1000-tonne crush as assistant winemaker, only to find the chosen French winemaker had changed his mind, leaving Grosset in charge. He subsequently returned to Australia and worked at Lindeman's Karadoc winery with its 30,000-tonne crush. But ultimately he wanted to start his own label.

In 1981 Jeffrey purchased an old milk depot in the historic township of Auburn 1981 and established Grosset Wines. He produced four wines that vintage under his own label, 800 dozen bottles in total. Now, 42 years later, Grosset is regarded as arguably the best maker of riesling in Australia and produces nine wines and 11,000 bottles per vintage. 

Grosset is not shy about challenging tradition and questioning accepted practices. In the late 1980s, he was the leader of a successful movement to only allow the use of the word Riesling on Australian wines that were made specifically from the Riesling grape. Until that point, a significant number of Australian wines with Riesling on their label were made from other grape varieties. 

Grosset was also the driving force behind a decision in 2000 by Clare Valley Riesling producers to switch to screwcap closures for their wines and to encourage Australian and New Zealand winemakers to do the same, and for the public, retailers and media to embrace the change. He continues to privately fund research into the subject.

Next, he established the Grosset Gaia Fund, donating to charities supporting youth, the arts and the environment. Recently he has led the way for Australian winemakers to use blockchain technology for verification of product provenance, authenticity and seal integrity.

Jeffrey Grosset has received a great deal of local and international recognition for his winemaking. In 1998, he was the first recipient of "Australian Winemaker of the Year" from Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine and was named the "International Riesling Winemaker of the Year" at the Riesling Summit in Hamburg, Germany. He was nominated in 2005 as one of the world's "50 Most Influential Winemakers" by Wine & Spirits and in 2006, named as one of the "Top 10 White Winemakers" in the world by Decanter magazine. 

Grosset's philosophy has remained steadfast over the years, 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.