PIKES THE MERLE RIESLING 2022

Winery notes (2022 Vintage)
"Named after our family matriarch, ‘The Merle’ is hand picked and sorted in the vineyard from the best parcels of Riesling from our Polish Hill River Estate. We are aiming for the purest expression of Polish Hill Riesling for this wine.

Our winemaking approach is designed to capture the flavour of each individual site with minimal winemaking influence. 'The Merle' presents the pinnacle of Riesling at Pikes, showing concentration, sense of place and purity.

Lime pith and green apple roll out, with some classic Merle notes of Kaffir lime leaf, jasmine blossom and talcy elements hinting minerality lifting easily in support. Bright yet concentrated lime juice, with a touch of pink grapefruit generosity in the mouthfeel, all framed around a ground ginger note with the Polish Hill River’s famous minerality and lime leaf florals providing backbone."

5 Stars & 97/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, May 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"An exceptional offering; the delicately lifted bouquet shows lemon pith, lime sorbet, white floral and wet limestone nuances, leading to an impressively concentrated palate displaying linear mouthfeel backed by firm acidity. Exquisite and pure, delivering outstanding line and length. At its best: 2027 to 2042."

5 Stars 96/100 Aaron Brasher, The Real Review, January 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"Pale straw, bright and really youthful in the glass. Fragrant, pretty and lifted aromas of lemon pith, bath salts, citrus blossom and wet slate. Fine, delicate and pointed on the palate, mouth-wateringly, citrusy, juicy, mineral, pithy with lip-smackingly crunchy acidity. This is a class act and has a long life ahead of it."

96/100 Erin Larkin (2022 Vintage)
"The 2022 The Merle Riesling is a product of the excellent 2022 season that birthed it. The Merle is traditionally a structural and streamlined wine, and this vintage iteration continues the established theme. Lithe, almost muscular and loaded with juicy acidity, this wine, in this year, deserves to be put down for a while. With pureness, strength, fruit power, coiled, springy acidity and length for days, this is sensational Riesling."

95/100 Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, November 2022 (2022 Vintage)
"The purity of this is quite something. It’s more than that of course, it has a semblance of texture, and lots of length, and enough spread to the flavour profile to keep it from seeming simple. It also has some X factor, or something difficult to describe, which just makes you feel in the most confident and reassuring of hands. But the purity, well, it gets you in the feels, it’s the land and the vines in an embrace so tight they seem as one, like the sound of the sea inside a shell. Clare Valley Riesling. More than a cliche. Twist the top and you’re there."