2000 GROSSET WATERVALE RIESLING - SEALED WITH A......

This particular imbiber doesn’t want to add to the closure debate. Suffice to say, the advent of the screw cap in its various forms has had a manifest impact on the propensity of Riesling, the wonderful aromatic grape, to mature without risk of oxidation or cork taint. Any lover of wine who bought and cellared Australian Riesling from the 1990’s in any quantity would be able to recall the number of cork sealed bottles that have not delivered, lacking freshness and vibrancy.

What better way to put screw caps to the test than crack a bottle of Grosset Watervale Riesling 13 years on from vintage. Jeffrey Grosset was one of the most ardent supporters of the screw cap and 2000 marked the vintage (if one recalls correctly) when his production went under screw cap for the first time.

This sums up the argument in favour of screw caps (at least for aromatic whites) with a resounding ‘Yes’. It is as fresh as a daisy, golden yellow in colour suggesting some development, with a lively and inviting nose of kaffir lime leaf, lemon/lime citrus, just a whiff of kerosene and a touch of honeyed maturity. The palate too is bright and fresh, a fine ripple of acidity confirming that this wine has plenty of fuel in the tank. What a pity then that this bottle was the last….

2000 WATERVALE RIESLING
Producer: Grosset
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2000
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 6 April 2013

Tasting Note:
Bright lemon yellow. Alluring nose of lime juice, kaffir lime leaf, honey, hint of eucalypt, lemon squirt, whiff of kerosene. Dry, medium bodied, quite round in the mouth, typical lemon/lime citrus with emerging honeyed maturity. A gentle undercurrent of acidity provides freshness and suggests that the wine has a good few years up its sleeve.
Score: 17.5/20  -->