John Fordham ‘Good Drinking’
“The Clare Valley’s Jeffrey Grosset is the uncrowned king of Australian riesling, our most under-rated white varietal wine for reasons that entirely escape me.
During the time I’ve been waxing lyrical about the grape, there have been two standout riesling craftsmen. The now-retired and wonderfully-talented John Vickery, who oversaw more than 30 stupendous riesling vintages on behalf of Leo Buring, was the first, a super technician in every respect. Grosset has since very comfortably snuggled into Vickery’s winemaking boots.
Ironically, as a young man growing up in Adelaide, Grosset, thanks to his wine-loving parents, was introduced to the magic of Vickery’s rieslings. It came as no surprise, then, that at the age of 16, Grosset headed off to the famous Roseworthy Agricultural College to become a winemaker. Five years later, he graduated with flying honours in agriculture and oenology ready to take on the wine world. Now, three decades on, he unhesitatingly nominates the John Vickery influence as the cornerstone of his obsession with riesling. “Although my parents had no involvement in the wine industry, they were wine enthusiasts, especially when it came to enjoying the great rieslings John Vickery made for Leo Buring,” recalls Grosset. “John had the biggest influence, for sure. Having become hooked on the rieslings made by him, my passion to match his attention to detail and creativity with the world’s greatest white grape occupied my total focus”.
Grosset is currently celebrating the 31st successive vintage of his astonishing Jeffrey Grosset Polish Hill Riesling. Like its more recent forerunners, 2011 Polish Hill enjoys modern-day ranking as Australia’s most renowned, respected and decorated.
While Polish Hill is clearly Grosset’s flagship bottling, he also proudly trumpets his 2011 Springvale Riesling and 2011 Off-Dry Riesling. All three deliver amazing palate satisfaction with their excellently balanced lemon-lime flavours and sharp acidity.”