Pikes The Merle Riesling 2024

The Merle never fails to sit among the very best releases of Clare Riesling, year after year, no matter what price bracket you quote. For me, this is one of our iconic Rieslings. The colour for this latest release is a near transparent lemon. The wine is elegant and refined, fresh and focused and offers drive, impeccable balance and endless length. A line of sea breeze acidity runs the length, the intensity never drops for a moment, and that freshness is still evident throughout. Fabulous stuff, this latest release is a worthy addition to the lineage. Enjoy over the next twenty years. Drink 2024-2044. (97) KEN GARGET, WinePilot.com

I'd be happy to lie on my back and have someone drip feed this Pikes The Merle Riesling into my mouth for the rest of my days. What an impeccable wine this is. Pure, focused, detailed and delicate all at the same time, class oozes from every pore...(97) QWineReviews.com

Presence on the palate, bordering on weight, with fruit intensity presented as a wide, compelling sheet of flavour. Lime, bath salts and slate, with florals and spices – and citrus rind – for afters. Here we are again on the shore where elegance and power meet. There’s a whisper of reduction in play and an impression that this wine has been made to be cellared. And yet, right now, it’s immensely more-ish. It’s another belter from Pikes. (95) MIKE BENNIE, www.winefront.com

The 2024 The Merle Riesling is powerful and tightly controlled, with a long spool of flavor—lemongrass, white pepper, cheesecloth, bay leaf and scratched lime—that draws out over the finish. I like this wine in its youth, and I like it as an older wine as well. It's very smart and eloquently of place. 11.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2025-2044 (96) ERIN LARKIN, The Wine Advocate