Since the first release of Grosset Piccadilly in 1993, these wines have made a powerful statement about the potential of the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills, a sub-region so cool that it is often considered marginal for table wine. ‘It’s a sub-region that takes time to understand’, says Grosset, ‘and the wines can be exquisite’.
Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay 2010
Only 450 dozen produced. While cool climate Australian chardonnay garners accolades and defies the tapering off of sales of the variety in this country, the Grosset ‘Piccadilly’ continues to show a consistency of style that
The current release shares with the previous three vintages the finer, leaner, tighter, lower-in-alcohol style that Jeff Grosset made in the 1990s. These are subtle chardonnays that appear delicate and restrained on release yet reward the patient by being more ageworthy than most Australian examples of the variety.
The hallmark of this 2010 chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills’ Piccadilly Valley is its purity of fruit. There are intense nectarine, white peach and grapefruit flavours, all tightly coiled and vibrant in the mid-palate, seamlessly integrated so that it shows little evidence of its cedary oak. There are some quartzy, minerally notes on its long, zesty finish. It has the purity of flavour, weight, tightness of structure and bright natural acidity to suggest it will age as well as previous vintages of the Grosset ‘Piccadilly’ Chardonnay.
General Cellaring Guide: Enjoy now, or cellar for 3-5 years
Release Date: 1 March 2012
Reviews
Ralph Kyte-Powell The Age Epicure 24 April 2012
Adelaide Hills chardonnay of the best type from perfectionist maker Jeffrey Grosset. It opens with restrained fruit, leesy richness and understated complexity. Nectarine, citrus, steely and nutty notes lead into rich, tangy palate that has a lovely flavour impact without any heaviness. The finish is very long and bone-dry.
Tyson Stelzer Wine Taste Weekly Edition 77 13 July 2012
The precision of Jeffrey Grosset is apparent in his Adelaide Hills chardonnay as it is in his revered Clare rieslings. In 2010 it carries beautiful definition of finely perfumed lemon and grapefruit, pristine white peach and notes of almond blossom, underlined by exceedingly classy and restrained almond and cashew nut French oak.
