Jeff Grosset, IMHO Australia’s best Riesling producer, was in Singapore recently which is as good an excuse as any for a wine dinner. The official reason for the dinner was to try the 2017 releases of Grosset Wines and to hear from Jeff about the vintage and his thoughts on each of the 6 wines tasted on the night.

The night was, as usual, arranged by the infamouse Robert Rees of Wine Exchange Asia, with pre-dinner bubbles at Praelum Wine Bar – 4 Duxton Hill followed by dinner at Kamoshita 5 Neil Rd, Singapore 088806.

Kamoshita Menu

The dinner for the night was Omakase Style, which means “I’ll leave it up to you” or as in this case a meal consisting of dishes selected by the chef.

Kamoshita is one of those holes in the wall that is too cool to have a website and can only be found via word of mouth. It is currently even harder to find as it is hidden behind one of the Singapore MRT expansion building sites with no direct access to the street.

Starter

Crab and Prawn Tartare Served with Ikura, Ooba Flower and Cucumber

Soup

ICHIBANDASHI Soup Radish Tofu Egg

Appetizer

Sansho Pepper Grilled Duck Breast
Sea Urchin Rolled with Wagyu Beef
Home Made Tofu Served with Fresh Seaweed Sauce

Sashimi

From TSUKIJI Market – Yellow Tail and Spanish Mackerel

Grill

Smoked Iberian Pork Rib

Cheese

Miso Soaked Cream Cheese
Smoked Radish Stuffed with Cream Cheese
Soy Sauce Boiled Kelp Mixed with Cream Cheese

Main Course

Beef Fillet Steak Chopped Oyster Sauce

Noodle

Cold Soba with Fresh Sudachi Sauce

Dessert

Mascarpone Cheese Pudding and Fresh Fruit

Kamoshita

This restaurant is definitely a place I would like to return to for a quiet dinner, even with 20 people dinning at once, the staff were efficient and the food was of a high quality. All the dishes were interesting, my favourite was Smoked Pork, Sashimi and the Appetizers. They were also decent pairings with the wine.

The Wine

The main event!

Before I go any further I need to disclose that Grosset is one of my favourite producers, I collect their Polish Hill Riesling, can’t wait to host a verticle, and always grab a few bottles of their other wines at release. So I might gush a bit about the quality of the wine.

The fact that Jeff was joining us for the dinner made it even more enjoyable and informative. This was second Grosset Wine Dinner that I had attended in Singapore and, due to the layout of the restaurant, this was the more interactive of the two. The previous dinner was in Oct 2015 at Bar-A-Thym.

Grosset Wines was found in 1981 in the Clare Valley, a couple of hours North West of Adelaide South Australia. It is an independent winery which sources fruit from 5 different vineyards in the Clare Valley and Adeliade Hills. Grosset Wines was recently named by James Halliday as the “Best Value Winery” of 2018 and as well one of “2016 Top 100 Wineries” by Wine & Spirits.

Wine Reviews

wdt_ID	Photo	Wine
1		> Name: Bride Valley Réserve Brut Year: 2014 Region: Dorset, Southern England Varietal: 38% Pinot Meunier, 32% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay Oz's Rating: 3 out 5 Pleasant, a little dry. Fine bead, pale straw in colour. My first British Bubbles (actually British wine for that mater) <
2		> Name: Grosset Semillon / Sauvignon Blanc Year: 2017 Region: Grosset Rockwood Vineyard, Woodside, Adelaide Hills, South Australia Varietal: Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Oz's Rating: 3 out of 5 Very pale light straw, passionfruit and citrus aromas. Refreshing, slightly sour palate, with a short finish. A nice drink, but it was least favourite of the night for me. I am not a SSB fan <
3		> Name: Grosset Springvale Watervale Year: 2017 Region: Grosset Springvale Vineyard, Clare Valley, South Australia Varietal: Riesling Oz's Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Way to young, but, IMHO, has the signs that it will become a great wine with age. Very pale straw, great nose a little restrained. Balanced, clean palate, medium finish. One to cellar for at least 5 - 10 years, if not more. This vintage is the first vintage that Grosset has bottled this in Magnums. They sold out in a few days, unfortunately I missed out, too slow. <
4		> Name: Grosset Polish Hill Year: 2017 Region: Grosset Polish Hill Vineyard, Clare Valley, South Australia Varietal: Riesling Oz's Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 Wow, what a great young wine. I know I am biased, but this is one of best new releases I have ever tried. Very pale straw in colour, restrained combo of citrus, lime and a hint of lemon aromas. Balanced, smooth palate, lovely medium length finish. I am a fan of aged Riesling and I am sure that this will be amazing in 15 years or more, hopefully I have the patience to wait that long. This vintage is the first time that Polish Hill has been offered in Magnum, I did get a couple! <
5		> Name: Grosset Gaia Year: 2014 Region: Grosset Gaia Vineyard, Clare Valley, South Australia Varietal: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc Oz's Rating: 4 out 5 Deep crimson, perfume of black pepper, black current and herb aromas. Balanced, smooth, enjoyable palate, savoury tannins with a medium-long finish. A great wine, looking forward to enjoying it regularly as it evolves. Drinking very well now, IMHO, it will repay patience, significantly! <
6		> Name: Grosset Nereus Year: 2015 Region: Private Grower Vineyards, Clare Valley, South Australia Varietal: 90% Syrah/Shiraz and 10% Nero d`Avola Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Deep purple in colour. Restrained combo of pepper and berry aromas. Medium-bodied developing, balanced and soft palate, dry tannins with a medium-long finish. This is the second release of Nereus. <
7		> Name: Grosset Alea Year: 2017 Region: Grosset Rockwood Vineyard, Clare Valley, South Australia Varietal: Riesling Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Very pale straw. Perfume of burnt orange and lychee aromas. Refreshing palate medium finish. Nice!! The first vintage of Alea was in 2012, I have a few bottles of it, wonder how it has aged. <
8

Oz’s Picks

• 2017 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling
• 2014 Grosset Gaia

Oz’s Wine Reviews

The Line Up

Another great night, thanks Jeff Grosset and Robert Rees!

Cheers!