Grosset Springvale Watervale Riesling 2012

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.

"The Clare Valley riesling excitement continues with the release of Jeffrey Grosset's amazing 2012s. A normally reserved Grosset, can't bottle his enthusiasm, writing, 'The 2012 vintage has turned out to be one of the best experienced at Grosset. Weather conditions were ideal.' Springvale, from Clare's Watervale sub-region, presents a delicate, pristine, utterly irresistible face of riesling. Spritely, lime-like acidity carries the fruit flavour across a nevertheless delicate, soft palate – the upfront fruit flavour and softness making delicious current drinking (though the wine should evolve for many years)."  Chris Shanahan

"This single site riesling is sourced from the six hectare estate vineyard off Springvale Road at one of Watervale's highest elevations (460 metres above sea level). It is situated on a gentle mainly north-facing slope where the vines thrive in red loamy soil over limestone. The Grosset Riesling from Watervale continues to surprise in blind tastings by moving closer in quality terms to its Polish Hill sibling. In 2012, although both show tightness and minerality there's a (relative) plumpness to the Springvale and a slightly softer, more seductive texture that suggests many will prefer it in its youth to the slightly more austere Polish Hill.

The 2012 Grosset Springvale Riesling is a wonderful balancing act placing restrained and savoury minerally slatey characters in a juxtaposition with intense, pristine flavours of lemon zest and lime juice; delicate white flower and talc aromatics contrast with tightness of structure, full-throttle power, and dry zingy acidity. At this stage, it appears the tightest and most ageworthy of the Springvale Rieslings. General Cellaring Guide: Enjoy now or cellar 5-12 years."  Grosset

Expert reviews

"Bright, light straw-yellow colour. Delicate, refined, very attractive lemon juice and lemon pith aromas, becoming more 'lime juicy' as it opened. Fine, soft and seamless with superb harmony of rich fruit and acidity. Great flavour and mouthfeel, the harmony is outstanding and so is the persistence. A more generous, giving wine than the Polish - at least at this moment. Drink: 2012–2022."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 97 points

"There is much to revere in the Springvales of recent seasons, some vintages delivering unremitting control and exacting precision, others exemplifying inherent fruit power and concentration. Only the greatest season deliver both. Even in its extreme youth, there's no doubt that 2012 will go down among the finest Springvales of all. As pure and precise as ever, its incisive fruit definition and inherent concentration of signature granny smith apple, kaffir lime and spice pull into razor-sharp finish that glitters with hallmark Springvale chalky minerality. An undeviating finish lingers with a persistence more familiar in Polish Hill than Springvale. Drink 2012-2014 or 2014-2027."  Tyson Stelzer, Wine Taste - 96 points

"Light straw-green; while finely strung and articulated, is more generous - particularly on the palate - than the Polish Hill River, making it a candidate for earlier consumption, its layers of lime, lemon and apple irresistible. Drink by: 2022."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points

"The 2011 Grosset Springvale was drastically difficult to assess; the verdict won't really come in on them until it's had time to mature. What a difference a year makes; this 2012 Springvale release is the opposite; it's easy to assess, and to access as a drinker. Elegance is probably its key feature – or perhaps finesse is a better word. The flavours seem to step onto your tongue 'just so'. Lime, slate, florals and a good bit of rind. Perfectly pretty but with the power to stop it from seeming too cute. Fantastic length. Some brood to the aroma and some textural richness, though the further it moves through your mouth the more it seems to arrow out into the distance. A top shelf release. Alcohol: 12.5% Price: $37 Closure: Screwcap Drink: 2012 - 2022+."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 95 points

"The Clare Valley riesling excitement continues with the release of Jeffrey Grosset's amazing 2012s. A normally reserved Grosset, can't bottle his enthusiasm, writing, 'The 2012 vintage has turned out to be one of the best experienced at Grosset. Weather conditions were ideal.' Springvale, from Clare's Watervale sub-region, presents a delicate, pristine, utterly irresistible face of riesling. Spritely, lime-like acidity carries the fruit flavour across a nevertheless delicate, soft palate – the upfront fruit flavour and softness making delicious current drinking (though the wine should evolve for many years).”  Chris Shanahan

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.