Damn girl, you got it going on but your tag is priced high—too many awards inflate the ego? Grosset in the Clare Valley is considered by many the pinnacle of Riesling in Australia, including Langton’s, Australia’s leading classification authority on auction-worthy wines. It was definitely at the price point pinnacle of my Series, beating out the next highest wine by $20. Does Polish Hill merit the big bucks?
The nose is restrained, but the palate pops with what I have learned are the hallmarks of Clare Valley—lime and stone, and is bone dry. So what makes this bottle different from the rest? Balance, structure and intensity—Mikhail Baryshnikov posing as Riesling. Polish Hill waltzes seamlessly between wet-slate minerality, pressed-lime fruit and crisp acidity. While this is an impressive bottle and will age beautifully, $47 is a lot of money to drop on any wine, particularly one this young. Buy and hold, or mark your google calendar to wine-search a bottle on July 1st, 2014 at, say, noon? And invite me to your appointment, please. $46.95 at Sherry-Lehmann
LET’S DRINK THIS IN BARDEJOV, SLOVAKIA!
You are probably wondering where the heck is Bardejov and why anyone would go to Slovakia besides lascivious college kids looking for a hostel bunk. The answer is in the image, if beautiful, intact medieval villages woo you (they do me). There isn’t much to do there besides sit around and watch the passerby, so you want to have something good in your glass. Slovakia produces wine, but nothing great, yet, so Polish Hill will do nicely on a hot, Central European afternoon. Plus, the dry Riesling will cut the heaviness of Slovakian dumplings and bryndzové halušky (sheep cheese gnocchi), that you will find yourself over-eating.
CHASING THE VINE 