Shiraz Nero d’Avola “Nereus” Clare Valley 2021 – Grosset

To produce the Shiraz Nero d’Avola “Nereus” Clare Valley Grosset the fruit was crushed, destemmed and cold-soaked before starting fermentation in pnuematic fermenters. These enable gentle working of the cap to increase extraction from the skins. It was then pressed into French oak barriques (35% new) to finish fermentation and mature for 18 months.

Jeff sourced fruit for the “Nereus” from the Watervale subregion of the Clare Valley. The vines are trained with the Vertical Shoot Positioning system and are planted on loam soils over hard red rock.

For almost four decades, the Grosset ‘Springvale’ and ‘Polish Hill’ Rieslings have shown a consistency of style and quality that has made this one of Australia’s greatest wineries. The ‘hard rock’ blue slate of the Polish Hill site results in wines that are steely and magnificently ageworthy, while the red loam of the Springvale vineyard gives more open and easily accessible – though no less complex – wines. Such is Jeffrey Grosset’s attention to detail that he noted a small strip (22 metres wide by 300 metres long) in his Rockwood vineyard that produced more generously flavoured wines due to a different soil. Jeffrey is fanatical about the quality of his vineyards, which are certified organic and are hand tended, with a focus on sustainability to offset climate change. In the winery, each process is gentle and uncomplicated. No fining agents are used and sulphur is the only addition. By combining a disciplined approach and decades of experience, Grosset consistently achieves the purest expression of variety and place.