Grosset Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Clare Valley  & Adelaide Hills, SA)
$28, Screwcap, 12.5%
Source: Cellar Door
http://www.grosset.com.au/

By my reckoning, this is the sixth consecutive vintage of Mr Grosset’s white blend that I’ve tasted and the first time ever that I’ve been disappointed. That’s quite a record, and certainly enough for me to buy it again in the future.

But I’m still shitty about this wine. Shitty that I left it too long, shitty that I paid $28 for a wine that I didn’t enjoy.

For this 09 white is already on the decline. Straw yellow in colour, the nose is forward and fat with the telltale pea & tinned asparagus of developing Sauvignon Blanc, blended with firmer citrus fruit. It’s a nose that you would find on 18 month old Marlborough Sauv, not 9 month old SSB and is unattractive to say the least.

Palate wise it’s short, citrussy and surprisingly warm, awkward and a bit flabby through the middle, though finishing firmish. It’s a husk of a palate, all angles and no fruit.

In short, it’s a letdown. It didn’t taste oxidised or otherwise tainted, it just seemed awkward and off it’s game. What’s more, this is actually my second bottle of this, the first one back in October was crisp and taut, though notably lean.

Could it be a dud bottle? Yes. Would it have been a good wine last Christmas? Entirely possible. Does that make me feel better? No. 14.5/83