2023 Grosset Nereus Shiraz Nero d'Avola, Clare Valley

The 2023 Nereus is a blend of Shiraz and Nero d'Avola, and it presents us with a silky, spicy, slippery drinking experience. The tannins are shapely and fine and give some contrast to the streamlined fruit that veritably slips by on the palate. It's a lovely wine, built for pleasure not longevity (or maybe it was, but I believe it's best tasted while fresh). This is gorgeous. Drink 2025 to 2030.

93 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, April 2025

Deep, bright and bold purple-red colour; intense violet and blueberry, blackberry aromas, chocolaty later, the wine fresh and bright in the mouth with tannins that are fine and subtle, the body medium in weight: an elegant style of red with light, fine, supple textured tannins and excellent harmony. It's quite primary at present but has much more to show us if given the time. Drink 2026 to 2038.

93 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, March 2025

A soft, medium-weight red with sloshy texture, ripples of raspberry licorice, cola, cranberry and strawberry, accompanied by sage leaf, cinnamon spice and choc-mint. It feels quite rich and toasty, yet the slip to texture gives the wine glide and lift. Grippy, dusty tannins roll in. Ripeness feels inherent, so too coolness; hence, a wine with density yet lift. Quite delicious, if not a touch short as a comment. Drink 2025 to 2033.

93 points Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion, April 2025

Jeffrey Grosset established his winery in Auburn in 1981 with a single guiding conviction: that exceptional wine begins with finding precisely the right place. Grosset remains one of Australia's most focused and uncompromising small producers with four Clare Valley vineyards certified organic and biodynamic. These are farmed with a philosophy that has deepened considerably since Jeffrey first engaged with biodynamics as a way of understanding his land rather than simply managing it.

Nereus draws from Vineyard, Grosset's high-altitude biodynamic site in the Watervale subregion, planted on hard red rock. The Tahbilk Shiraz clone, loose-bunched and naturally perfumed, is planted alongside Nero d'Avola, the Sicilian variety that adds its own dark fruit depth. Hand harvested, fermented with indigenous yeast, matured in French oak and bottled unfined.

The 2023 is a wine built for pleasure — silky and spicy, with violet, blueberry and blackberry on the nose alongside chocolate, raspberry liquorice and a lift of cinnamon spice. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, supple tannins and excellent harmony, the fruit slipping through with a glide and freshness that makes it immediately appealing.

A delicious red that rewards drinking now while everything is vivid, and an easy choice for a relaxed weekend lunch. Try with grilled lamb cutlets with herbs and lemon or maybe a slow-roasted beetroot and goat's cheese tart with walnuts. The wine's spice, fine tannins and dark fruit sit comfortably with both.

Drink now through 2030. This is a vegan friendly wine.