Grosset Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2004
Tasting Notes
The 2004 Grosset Semillon Sauvignon Blanc shows some exotic fragrances – more white peach and nectarine than the usual gooseberry and passionfruit, although there are some typical lychee notes. At present, the wine is tight, even steely, yet with delicious mid-palate juiciness and zippy, crisp, dry acidity. It is intense, powerful and concentrated with good weight and impressive length. There is more minerality than fruitiness with just a squeeze of lime juice to give a tangy lift and to surprise lovers of this style.
The 2004 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc again combines Clare Valley semillon and Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc in a 50:50 blend. This vintage provided enough sauvignon blanc to enable Jeffrey to use a higher proportion of this vibrant grape, but he decided against using it. On the tasting bench, the balance seemed right at 50:50 with this wine having more weight. With a higher percentage of sauvignon blanc, the wine appeared leaner on the palate and lacked flavour on the finish. From experience the equal portion blend is a better food wine.
For twelve vintages since this wine was first made in 1992, the sauvignon blanc has been sourced from the same vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. The Clare semillon comes from Jeffrey’s Watervale vineyard and a neighbouring grower.
James Halliday
Australian Wine Companion 2006 (Harper Collins)
Glowing yellow-green: as ever, beautifully crafted and balanced, building flavour through the length of the palate. Clare semillon/Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc. RATING 94 DRINK 2009
Nick Stock
The Adelaide Review – ‘Wine’ (September 2004)
Australia’s 2004 vintage whites are rolling out apace now and this is one of the highlights so far. Jeffrey Grosset is a terrifically talented white winemaker and although best known for his duo of riesling wines, this blended white has been steadily gaining a strong reputation in recent vintages. Semillon does well in the Clare Valley, as does sauvignon blanc in the Adelaide Hills, and here they combine effortlessly in a clean, crisp, dry white with depth and intensity. This wine looks fresh in the glass, a brilliant green-tinged, vibrant colour. The nose is attractive with floral notes, big wafts of ripe tropical fruits, some herbs and mineral salts. It is exuberant in a veil of restraint, which speaks of the skill with which Grosset goes about his craft. The palate is bursting with fruit, some nice citrus, crunchy and crisp. It builds steadily and fades slowly, driven by a concentrated core of pure primary fruit. Acidity is firm but has a ripe quality about it, intense but not hard or obtrusive, it is balanced to a tee.
Campbell Mattinson
Winefront Monthly (August 2004)
Trademark stylishness – it always seems more than just a sum of its parts. Slate, shale, nettle and lemon with a dry dustiness and a crack of zingy, zesty, rousing acid. Fruit oomph through the mid-palate. Bring on summer!
93 points
Jeremy Oliver
Onwine (September 2004)
Delicate and lightly herbal aromas of passionfruit, lemon and melon reveal a slightly candied aspect. Fresh and forward, its long and lemony palate is vibrant, clean and tangy. Pleasingly flavoursome and mineral.
