Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2005
The 2005 Grosset Polish Hill is typical of the style that the vineyard produces. Like the Watervale, this is the best since 2002 and looks to be the equal of the wine produced in that legendary vintage. Although it is shy and restrained on the nose, there is a hint of the intense lime juice flavours and mouth-watering minerality that are evident on the palate before the achingly, bone dry finish. As ever, it is an austere riesling in its youth: tight, lean and steely, even flinty. Almost as a couterpoint to this austerity, there is a zestiness and vibrance that is a vital part of the Polish Hill’s appeal. It has finesse, impeccable balance, tremendous power and weight and layer upoon layer of tightly coiled flavour. Like the Watervale, the Grosset Polish Hill Riesling is now entirely estate grown.
Reviews
Ralph Kyte-Powell & Huon Hooke ‘The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide 2007’
…A beautiful, delicate-but-powerful style as we’ve come to expect from this label. There are still green tinges in the colour, and aromas of bread dough, fresh flowers, minerals and citrus blossoms. It manages to be both soft and crisp on the palate, with plenty of acid but in no way tart or harsh. Delicate, vibrant and lingering, it has a marvellous ‘line’ of flavour from entry to finish. Quality: 5 glasses. Previous outstanding vintages: All of them. 96 points
Jeremy Oliver www.onwine.com.au 18 October 2005
…Aspects of the wine resemble the perfume and profile of modern German and Austrian riesling. True to expectation, it will take at least a decade to begin to reveal what it’s really about. Beneath its almost fluffy expression of pear, apple and white peach flavour lie nuances of chalky wet slate that reveal layer after layer of richness and flavour. Only a handful of all Australian rieslings ever made are as good as this. 98 points
Campbell Mattinson ‘Wine Front Monthly’ Edition 37 September 2005
Screwcap: It snaps like a snow pea. Crisp, long, intense, loaded with lime and minerals and filled out with a sublime sub-plot of tart tropical fruits. It’s got so much elegance and style that just drinking it makes you feel like a better person. And what a gorgeous aftertaste. This is a great Polish Hill, stylish and subtle, focused and long. Drink: 2005 – 2016. 95 points
Tyson Stelzer www.tysonstelzer.com 12 September 2005
Spicy musk perfume dances on the bouquet amid a chorus of elegant white peach, fresh lemon and a hint of lychee. In true Grosset form, the palate is sparkling clean with remarkable palate perfume, spice and fine, minerally acidity lingering on a smooth, persistent finish. This is a top class Grosset Polish Hill to (almost) rival the epic 2002, albeit in an earlier-developing style. Grosset form at its unadulterated, clothes-off best! Excellent wine! 95 points
Ray Jordan ‘The West Australian’ 10 November 2005
Jeff Grosset ranks right up there with John Vickery when it comes to riesling – like Vickery he is bloody good at other varieties too. This is a stunning, subtle, delicate example of Clare riesling. It’s dry with delightfully fragrant limey floral aromas and a fine lingering precise palate. Will cellar beautifully for many years. Drink: Now to 2015. Food: Pan-fried scallops. 94 points
Jeff Collerson ‘The Daily Telegraph’ 7 December 2005
The Clare Valley ‘s Jeffrey Grosset must feel like the fastest gun in the west. Each vintage everyone wants to knock him off his perch. This stunning effort suggests he isn’t going to be toppled easily. It has his benchmark crisp apple, lime and mineral bouquet, with a palate that is longtight and powerful.
Tasting Panel: Lex Howard, Adrienne Jesberg, Lester Jesberg, Phil Trickett, Len Sorbello, Jeff Piper ‘Winewise’ Issue 125 December 2005
Outstanding. Grosset Polish Hill In the eyes of many, the Polish Hill is Australia ‘s foremost Riesling. We would find it hard to argue after the showing of the 2005 in the tasting.The colour is brilliant, tinged with green, and the nose combines striking lime aromas with hints of minerality. All this is reinforced by a palate that is strongly varietal, racy and long. Cellar 5-7 years.
Peter Forrestal ‘Gourmet Traveller Wine’ December/January 2006
This is one of too few Aussie whites that reward careful cellaring, especially from an outstanding vintage such as 2005: the best since 2002, and likely to be on par with that year and 1997. It is tight and closed when young, has intense lime juice flavours with flinty minerally characters before a long dry finish. At present, the wine has austerity and restraint, is lean, powerful yet neatly balanced and very fine. It will age beautifully and should be drunk from about five years of age. Keep the last few bottles as long as possible.
Huon Hooke ‘Gourmet Traveller Wine’ Riesling Tide February/March 2006
…Jeffrey Grosset is a modern-day legend in the world of Riesling, and rightly so. His 2005s-from his 25th vintage-are right on song. The Polish Hill was preferred over the Watervale, but not by much. It shows the characteristic Grosset style of powerful, concentrated fruit, high acidity and ageing potential allied with up-front accessibility. Otton saw what she called pure varietal expressions on nose and palate of slate, lime-skin and lemon drops (lollies). 96 points
Jancis Robinson www.jancisrobinson.com ‘Purple pages’ 6 February 2006
Buy it but forget it. …Next to this, Watervale seems charm incarnate.
Drink: 2009-18. 18.5/20 points
Joshua Greene ‘Wine & Spirits’ (USA) June 2006
Bright scents of peach and spice give this a bold attack, its richness retreating slowly, ending clean with a mouthwatering acidity at the edges. This is remarkably graceful given the flavour concentration and power. Delicious now with fat oysters or fleshy roast fish; Grosset’s Rieslings at typically at their best ten years or more from the vintage. 93 points
Reviewed by Josh Raynolds ‘Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar’ July/August 2006
Bright, pale gold. Steely, mineral-driven citrus and orchard fruit aromas, with hints of fresh herbs and green tea. Light in weight but also impressively concentrated, with powerful lime and lemon flavors braced by strong acidity and slate character. This has superb focus and length, finishing on intense notes of citrus pith and minerals. 92 points
Harvey Steiman ‘Wine Spectator’ 30 November 2006
Despite shy aromatics, this delivers tremendous depth and character, finishing dry, with welcome delicacy and grace. The flavors center on mandarin orange, apricot and warm slate, lingering beautifully on the harmonious finish. Drink now through 2017. 93 points
