Winemaker Notes
Attractive lemon blossom on a first swirl, there’s a hint of ripe citrus followed by a delicious layered lemon, lime palate. The power and depth of lemongrass flavors will surely make it a match for the more subtle Vietnamese dishes: a satisfying, expressive wine of great finesse. 2018 is clearly in the same quality ballpark as the previous three vintages, however the subtle increase in palate weight gives this wine an added presence.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Made in a more Germanic style, with a little residual sugar counteracting laser sharp acidity, Alea is a heady mix of lemon-lime, grapefruit pith and white-flower blossoms, with a touch of soft white spice. It's less complex and refined than Grosset's two most famous wines, Springvale and Polish Hill, but provides more up-front drinkability while being variety and terroir-driven. Balancing the virtually undetectable sweetness is crunchy acidity, bright citrus fruit and a slightly chalky texture. Drink now through 2029.
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Wine Spectator
Impressive for the purity of the pear, lemon and makrut lime notes, set on a smooth, silky body, with a wonderfully refreshing laser beam of acidity. A hint of green tea shows on the finish. Drink now through 2024.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
The Clare Valley is actually a series of narrow north to south valleys, each with a different soil type and slightly different weather patterns along their stretch. In the southern heartland between Watervale and Auburn, there is mainly a crumbled, red clay loam soil called terra rossa and cool breezes come in from Gulf St. Vincent. A few miles north, in Polish Hill, is soft, red loam over clay; westerlies blowing in from the Spencer Gulf influece this area's climate.
The differences in soil, elevation, degree of slope and weather enable the region to produce some of Australia’s finest, aromatic, spicy and lime-pithy Rieslings, as well as excellent Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec with ripe plummy fruit, good acid and big structure.
Clare Valley is an isolated farming country with a continental climate known for its warm and sunny days, followed by cool nights—perfect for wine grapes’ development of sugar and phenolic ripeness in conjunction with notable acidity levels.