Grosset 'Springvale' Watervale Riesling 2002

Tasting Notes

This is unquestionably the greatest Grosset Watervale Riesling yet produced. With the continuing improvement in this wine over the past five or so years, it only needed a great vintage to produce a benchmark that Jeff Grosset will strive to emulate in future years. This is that benchmark.

It has pure intense, lime citrus perfumes, rich lime juice and mineral flavours and assertive acidity which is held in check by the quality of the fruit. This is a pristine, concentrated riesling that is tight, taut and lean, powerful, crisp and dry. With food, it does open out - even at this early stage of its development - so that its fruit appears voluminous with hints of floral and even tropical characters co-existing with dense, vibrant lime characters.

A great riesling that has the capacity to age for ten years or more if it is well cellared.

Andrew Jefford
Top 10 - Gourmet Traveller Wine (Spring 2004)
95 points

Creamier, lusher aromas (than the Grosset Polish Hill Riesling...) evolving towards lime, orange and guava in the glass. Crisp, intense, vigorous, complex and finely detailed flavours, with mineral width filling out a long finish.
"By far my gighest aggregate score for any class was for the small group of four Clare Valley rieslings (average score 93.75) - for me, these are Australia's greatest present-day white wines. Riesling from Clare constitutes one of the country's most memorable variety-plus-terroir combinations; now ther is just the rest of the world to convince."

Tim White
The Weekend Financial Review - Top 10 Australian Wines '93 to '03 (May 2003)
From a fantastic year for Riesling in the Clare Valley. At present I rate this wine above the Polish Hill, although in the long haul the Polish Hill may be the better bet. The Watervale wine will still age beautifully for 10 years plus, especially as the entire production is now bottled under the Stelvin screwcap. When I encountered this in a blind tasting, the first word that came into my head was WOW - in capitals.