At a time when I should be immersed in work due to the impending Christmas rush that is about to hit my shop at any moment, I have two things going round and round in my head and I can't get rid of them. The first is a musical piece called Sliced Tomatoes by The Just Brothers. This is why I love, and hate, a lot of music from the 1960's. Back then songwriters knew how to create a catch hook - a small piece of music that just sticks in your brain and would then never leave - and the result would inevitably mean a hit in the charts. Despite being one hit wonders, and seven years after this track was released, The Just Brothers created a piece of music that not only won't leave my head, but obviously got stuck in Norman Cook's head as he used it as the main sample for the Fatboy Slim track "Rockafeller Skank".
The other thing that I just can't get out of my head was a tasting I went to months ago! I should have written it up long ago, but I kept putting it off and putting it off, and rather than have that plague me, much as The Just Brothers are, I'd exorcise this demon and write the article about Grosset Rieslings.
After producing some of Australia's most famous Rieslings for three decades, Jeffrey Grosset's Clare Valley winery is on the receiving end of much praise from wine critics all over the world. His hand picked, meticulously made wines are certainly one of, if not the wines that have rejuvinated Clare Valley Riesling and consistently score in the nineties. I have tried the Polish Hill Riesling before, and never understood why the critics rated it so highly, but I'd not tried their full Riesling range before, and expected great things based on the reviews. I'm not certain if I got what I expected however.
The thirty first release of this wine, and it is showing some bright lime and hot rock aromas. Very nice and very pleasant - you could just smell this wine and be happy. The palate has a crisp flavour, some lime and spice emerging with a touch of pepper as well.
A long, bone dry finish. 90pts
2011 Grosset Springvale Watervale Riesling
Soft, muted citrus aromas - a bit like confit lemon and then some softer, chalky notes come off. The palate is lovely and clean, a little lemony with a pencil lead flavour and some grapefruit pith. A touch high acid for my liking on the finish, but not overpowering in the slightest. Very tasty. 88pts
2011 Grosset Off Dry Watervale Riesling
Very subtle with some lemon marmalade coming off and a little pork fat too. A lush, round palate, with the sweetness being delivered first and then a crisp, clean palate with some floral notes emerging. Very light, quite savoury - despite the sweeter notes. 89pts
2007 Grosset Gaia
Almost concentrated pasta sauce on the nose! Dark, vegetal tomato plant aromas with herbs and a huge amount of bramble. The palate is dark, filled with sweet berries and a bundle of dark chocolate and cherry with just a touch of spice on the finish before an attack of dried fruit - prunes. A very well balanced wine, good structure and a delightful finish. 91pts
These are good wines - no debate needed on that, I just don't get the mid nineties that the Polish Hill receives. Maybe I'm being too tough, but they just seem to be considered a little better than I think they are. And this is causing me more mental anguish - why don't I appreciate these as much as the big cheeses of the wine criticism. I suspect that this will linger in my brain alongside Sliced Tomatoes.
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