Wine Advisor
Grosset, Alea Riesling 2023
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Erin Larkin
The 2023 Alea Riesling leads with roasted pineapple, green apples, hints of lychee and juniper, lemon oil and coriander. The fruit is a little quieter this year, but it's no less "present." It is a beautiful wine, fleshy and soft, but it still remains tethered to the tracks of very fine, very firm acidity. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
About the Producer
Grosset Wines was established in 1981 when founder Jeffrey Grosset purchased an old milk depot in the historic township of Auburn, Clare Valley. He gave it all the time and energy he had. Ingenuity was essential. Production was tiny and sold out quickly. An innovator who is not shy about challenging tradition and questioning accepted practices, Jeffrey’s focus has always been wine quality and integrity. In the nineties, he fought to have the riesling variety correctly acknowledged. In 2000, Jeffrey and a throng of Clare Valley winemakers encouraged Australian and New Zealand winemakers to switch to screwcaps and the public, retailers and media to embrace the change. He continues to privately fund research into the subject. Grosset Wines is a small family-run operation entering its fifth decade. Four estate-owned vineyards, A-Grade Certified Organic and Biodynamic (ACO), are located in high altitude country of the Clare Valley, each site selected for its potential to produce great wine and planted by Grosset. Each is handpicked and hand pruned; each bunch of grapes harvested at optimum ripeness. Production is tiny. Single vineyard wines are the focus. The winemaking process is gentle and uncomplicated. Custodianship remains with Grosset Wines from grape growing to in-house bottling; authenticity is assured. In August 2017, James Halliday awarded Grosset Wines ‘Australia’s 2018 Best Value Winery’. That same year Grosset made the Wine and Spirits (USA) World’s Top 100 Wineries list. Founder Jeffrey Grosset was voted inaugural Australian Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE in 1998, is internationally recognised as one of Decanter UK’s ‘Top 10 White Winemakers’ and one of the ‘50 Most Influential Winemakers’ (Wine & Spirits, USA) in the world today. Jeffrey Grosset designed the functional winery on the large side to cover everything the future might throw at us, including pressures of climate change and compressed vintages. The winemaking process is gentle, uncomplicated, and is never rushed. Everything is aimed at achieving the finest expression of variety and place. To avoid all inputs that threaten to compromise quality. Remove all chemicals from vineyard operations, an aim first pursued in 1992 and culminating in an A-Grade Certified Organic and Biodynamic Vineyards and Winery (ACO). To complement these non-chemical viticultural procedures, non-interventional winemaking (wine made without filter aids or fining agents) has been introduced. The removal of all fining agents, is made possible by hand selection of fruit and the avoidance of disease by superior vineyard management. Grosset vineyards are exclusively located in the high country of the Clare Valley. At altitudes of between 460-570 metres, these are the coolest sites in the region. The impact on the resultant wines is one of finesse: more elegant, ‘cooler’ fresher, and beautifully balanced wines.
