PIKES TRADITIONALE RIESLING 2023

Trophy for Best Dry Riesling – Canberra International Riesling Challenge 2023
Trophy for Best Current Vintage Riesling – Clare Valley Wine Show 2023
Gold Medal – Canberra International Riesling Challenge 2023
Gold Medal – Clare Valley Wine Show 2023

Winery notes (2023 Vintage)
"This release marks the 39th vintage of Pikes Riesling. Bright expressive aromas of perfume, citrus blossom and fresh lime dominate with a talcy/mineral note evident. All the hallmarks of an excellent vintage. Crisp acid driven wine, plenty of fresh lime and other citrus flavours. More delicate than recent years, the balance of palate weight, acid and barely-there sweetness creates a seamless and lengthy finish. Delicious."

95/100 Ken Gargett, WinePilot.com, January 2024 (2023 Vintage)
"Another superb, though cooler, vintage for this much-loved Clare Valley classic, the 39th release. It remains as consistent as ever and, again, provides some of the best value drinking this country offers. Fruit is sourced from a number of vineyards around the region. Only free run juice is used for an almost translucent colour, the very palest lemon. The aroma is the expected lemons and limes, with bath salts, talc and minerals. Fresh and young with a delightful texture, there is mouthwatering acidity and very good length. This will provide pleasure for at least twelve to fifteen years."

95/100 Jeni Port, WinePilot.com, December 2023 (2023 Vintage)
"A super dry, superlative wine highlighting the intrinsic pristine purity of Clare Valley Riesling. It’s quite something to behold, and it should be noted that ‘23 is the third excellent Clare Riesling vintage in a row following 2022 and 2021. It shows in the intensity of the aromas in lime cordial, lemon, citrus zest, fresh cut green apple. Should you wish to drink early – and acid heads will be lining up – my suggestion is not to over chill. Acidity is high with the 2023 vintage marked by cool weather and a slow ripening season. It is, at times, a galvanising feature of this wine but then it’s also a good insurance policy as to its longevity. Something to keep in mind. So, with that in mind, open the wine, give it a swish, watch it transform and reveal its beauty. Pure, bright, intense and clean with a finish that won’t let you go."

5 Stars, 95/100 & Buy of the Week, Huon Hooke, The Real Review, June 2024 (2023 Vintage)
"Quite pale colour, with an explosive and fascinating bouquet of dried flowers and dried herbs, bright and effusive, with lemon in the background. The wine is very refined and delicate on the tongue, with a hint of sweetness followed by appetising dry crispness, the acidity refreshing and in fine balance. The palate is elfin and long. A very smart young riesling with a big future ahead of it." 

5 Stars & 94/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, November 2023 (2023 Vintage)
"It's beautifully expressed on the nose, showing Gala apple, lemon zest and white floral nuances, leading to a mouth-watering palate that's elegantly weighted and lingering. Energetic and vibrant with excellent fruit purity, finishing long and linear. At its best: 2026 to 2038."

94/100 Andrew Graham, ozwinereview.com (2023 Vintage)
"Water clear/green as well. There is 2g/L more residual sugar here, which takes it to 4g/L. Given that most people can’t taste sweetness below 5g/L, and especially not when the pH is under 3, it’s not going to ever taste sweet. But that sub-perceptible edge really does give this an edge – it’s so moreish. Talc, concentrated lime juice, some Gardenia floral, too. It’s taut, but there is this push of juiciness that makes this instantly classic and instantly delicious, with perfect lime juice delineation and unquestioned intensity. Hard to fault this classic rendition – it’s spot on in its limey intensity. Best drinking: now is perfect"

92/100 Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, November 2023 (2023 Vintage)
"It delivers. Apple, spice, some floral top notes, grapefruit crunch. It has flesh and juiciness, a slight smokiness, lime leaf and lemongrass, a light chew and chalkiness to texture, a little bitterness with a lime and green herb finish of good length. Not the most subtle of wines, but the overall impression is of a wine of zesty appeal and inherent crowd-pleasing, thirst-slaking fun. I’d smash a bottle in no time, especially if there was sunshine and seafood on the menu."