Grosset Polish Hill Riesling is produced from our eight-hectare estate-owned A-Grade Certified Organic and Biodynamic (ACO) vineyard in the Clare Valley. The gently sloping site, selected and planted by Grosset in 1996, is comprised of silt and shallow shales over a thin crust of clay and gravel. This overlays a bed of blue slate, estimated to be around 500-million-years old.

This is a ‘hard rock’ site. The vines struggle to draw nutrients from the soil, so the bunches and berries are small, and the fruit flavours lingering. Indeed, this vineyard exemplifies how old-rock profiles can contribute to a wine’s character. It is indeed an extreme example.

‘A major challenge of this site is the variability in vigour from one vine to the next. This demands more intense labour input and hand-tending skill – varied to suit each vine – to achieve balanced vine growth and even fruit ripening.’ Relatively close-planted, there are three clones of riesling (two German and one rare local clone) producing an average of just two bottles of wine per vine.’ Jeffrey Grosset