Grosset Gaia 2002

Tasting Notes

Still a pup! An excellent vintage for Gaia but offering the consumer much the same dilemma that it did when it was first released. As then, this is a very approachable Gaia: soft in the mid-palate with silky smooth texture offering a hint that it is mellowing. However it is tightly structured with seamlessly integrated oak and fine, ripe yet firm tannins to finish. Still in the first flush of fruitiness - bold, ripe, plummy perfumes, deep blackcurrant and mulberry flavours, but with hints of briary, earthy notes that suggest complexity is but a breath away.

Campbell Mattinson
Winefront Monthly Top 25 (May 2004)A pearler. A terrific cabernet. Full of style and length and varietal integrity, with a spout of dust and stone and perfumed herbs leading the way. It’s backed up by a slide of pure blackcurrant, finishes with a carve of tannins and seems destined to live a long, healthy, useful life. Near perfect varietal cabernet.
94 points

Philip White
The Advertiser ‘Tasted’ (July 7 2004)
Gingery oak teases the pretty floral tones of the cabernet franc from this blend – no variety sucks oak more greedily. It’s like the fresh pencil tones of Grosset’s first Clare reds, twenty something years ago. But this shows more elegance and poise than those: it’s fresh, cheeky, yet long and gentle, and beautifully preserved under that screw. It will live forever. 94 points

Huon Hooke
Gourmet Traveller Wine (Summer 2004/05)
2002 Grosset Gaia. This 75 per cent cabernet sauvignon, with some franc and merlot, has superb concentration and vibrancy. Oliveacious aromas, good density, firm grip, and a nice, fleshy palate with ripe, fine-grained tannins in support. Superb balance and ageing potential.
94 points