GROSSET Polish Hill Riesling Clare Valley South Australia Grosset Wines was established in 1981 in an old milk depot, located in the historic township of Auburn at the southern end of the Clare Valley. Initially the fruit was sourced from a property near Hill River, a settlement established by Polish migrants in the 1840s. Elevated at 460 metres, the original vineyard was planted between 1966 and 1978. By chance, a fourteen hectare portion (of which 8 ha were planted) of adjacent land was purchased in 1994. The transition of Polish Hill Riesling "across the fence line" has been flawless. The gently sloping land comprises shallow shales with a crust of clay marl over "hard slate rock". Relatively close-planted this dry-land vineyard runs in a north-south direction with a "modified ballerina trellising system". After de-stemming and crushing through a modified 'French crusher', the juice is cooled down and drained. Little pressure is exerted on the fruit. This free-run juice is cold settled at 2°C before being fermented in closed stainless steel fermenters. Grosset says, "Making riesling is the purest form of winemaking because the winemaker is very restricted in what can be done. No oak, no malo-lactic and usually no extended lees contact or grape-skin contact is employed. Yeasty complexity is an additional character that has nothing to do with vineyard site. A very disciplined winemaking approach is needed to retain the inherent fruit characters and integrity of the terroir." Grosset Polish Hill Riesling is top of Australia's aromatic wine genre. The wines have incredible perfume and fruit purity, the lime/floral fruit profile is balanced by a fine indelible cut of acidity. This long-lived, beautifully aromatic and concentrated wine does much to define great Clare Valley Riesling. Jeffrey Grosset is one of the leading proponents of screw cap closures. His wines, often cellared by collectors for many years, have hugely benefited from this technology; these aged wines have a lovely freshness and beauty. Grosset's enthusiasm, utter commitment and genuine love for making something sublime and brilliant underpins Grosset Polish Hill Riesling; it is not only a product of a vineyard but also of a rare genius. Top Vintages 2010, 2009, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001, 1999, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1990, 1982, 1981. Andrew Caillard MW, Langton's