Grosset Gaia 2001

Tasting Notes

The 2001 Grosset Gaia may appear quite imposing at first sniff. It is a powerful brooding red with briary, cassis and dark plum aromas - and more than a touch of austerity. The palate, however, is a joy being surprisingly supple and velvety for this wine which is usually tight and relatively restrained in its early years. It has dense, ripe, rich cassis and dark plum flavours with some subtle cedary oak, a pleasing succulence and heaps of ripe tannins on a long, lingering and characteristically firm finish.

The blend of the 2001 Grosset Gaia, and the approach to its making remain virtually identical to the previous twelve vintages; cabernet sauvignon (75%), cabernet franc (25%) and merlot (5%) which spent sixteen months in French oak barriques, forty-five percent of which were new.

This wine will mature for twenty years, yet has the complexity and balance to be enjoyed as a younger wine.

Reviews

Jeremy Oliver
International WIne Cellar - USA (July/August 2003)
90 points
Intensely perfumed, slightly jammy, highly concentrated aromas of small black and red berries, dried herbs and spices, and sweet oak notes of chocolate and vanilla. Saturated with small berry fruits, with even riper suggestions of plum and currant and sweet oak tones of chocolate, vanilla and cedar. This red blend manages to push the limits of genuine ripeness, yet comes across as nicely focused and finely balanced.

Robert Parker
The Wine Advocate USA - Issue 161 (October 31 2005)
One of Australia 's finest proprietary Bordeaux Blends is Grosset's Gaia , usually a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. The dense ruby/purple-fringed 2001 Gaia reveals ripe cassis, liquorice, cedar, spice box and Smokey aromas as well as flavours. A chewy elegant, refined beauty, it should drink well for 10-12 years.
Grosset 2001 Gaia Clare Valley  Red 91

Seal of Approval
The Age: Epicure Tuesday (February 21 2006)
The screw cap is on the rise among winemakers but corkies aren't ready to pull the plug just yet. Ralph Kyte-Powell gathered some friends and put both seals to the test.

Grosset Gaia 2001
Another dead heat. The cork wine was elegant with good depth of black and red fruit character, succulence and length against a firm backbone of ripe, dry tannins. The screw-capped wine was a bit firmer in structure and a bit more minerally, but there was more generosity on the palate. Both improved with breathing. Best wine: a DRAW

James Halliday's Wine Companion 2005
Gaia 2001
Pristine blackcurrant fruit aromas; supple, silky mouthfeel, and a long, clean finish. Screwcap.
94 points, drink to 202