Pikes Traditionale is a consistent and well-established 100% Clare Valley Riesling. It drinks well on release but also rewards those who enjoy Riesling with bottle age. It’s harvested in late February or early March and cool-fermented over approximately 25 days in stainless steel having been inoculated with pure yeast culture.
‘... Lively, tense, with beautifully integrated acidity, bright and bracing...’
Huon Hooke (reviewing the 2019)
At time of writing, we also have very limited stocks of the Pikes flagship, the ‘Merle’ Reserve Riesling.
"Employs estate and contract-grown fruit from Polish Hill River, Watervale and Sevenhill. It's a delicious wine with lime juice the dominant fruit, backed by balanced acidity. Some vignerons fared better than others in the vintage, Pikes on the good side." 95 points, James Halliday
"Invariably find myself drinking a few bottles of this over the warmer months.
Some spice and kaffir lime leaf, juicy citrus, pithy and chalky texture, a nice energy about it, delivering juicy flavour, crunch and a pretty impressive mouth-watering stony finish. Some gin and tonic sweetness/bitterness in the aftertaste. Excellent."
93 points, Gary Walsh (November 2018)
"Very attractive, very fragrant bouquet of floral aromas with pastry/bakery overtones. Some green apple in the crisply acidic aftertaste and follow-through. Very good and has lots of potential." 93 points, Huon Hooke (September 2018)
The Clare Valley
The Clare Valley is located two hours north of Adelaide in the Mount Lofty ranges. The region was settled by John Horrocks who encouraged his servant James Green to plant the first vines in 1842. Climate in the Clare Valley is continental with hot summers, cold winters and low rainfall that necessitates supplementary irrigation. Soils in the valley are predominantly red brown loams over shale, permitting excellent drainage. Many of the best vineyards are located at higher elevations of 400-500m on sites that take advantage of the cool breezes that funnel up the corrugation of hills from the south. The Clare Valley is renowned for its zesty fruit-pure Rieslings particularly from the sub-regions of Polish Hill and Watervale. The region also produces intense age-worthy sturdy reds from Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
