{"product_id":"2024-pikes-the-merle-reserve-riesling","title":"2024 Pikes The Merle Reserve Riesling","description":"\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e96pts James Halliday — “Tremendous, in Every Sense”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMy Wine Man on Pikes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003ePikes is one of the Clare Valley's most celebrated family estates, established in 1984 by the Pike family on the slopes of the Polish Hill River sub-region — one of the most distinctive and highly regarded terroirs within the Clare Valley appellation. The Clare Valley is Australia's spiritual home of Riesling: a cool, elevated wine region in South Australia whose combination of ancient limestone and slate soils, significant diurnal temperature variation, and long, dry growing seasons produces Riesling of extraordinary purity, precision, and longevity. Pikes has been at the forefront of Clare Valley Riesling for four decades, and The Merle — named in honour of the Pike family matriarch, Merle Pike — is the estate's flagship Reserve Riesling: sourced from the finest parcels of the estate's oldest vines and crafted to showcase the full depth, complexity, and aging potential of Clare Valley Riesling at its most serious and compelling. The 2024 vintage delivered exceptional conditions across the Clare Valley — a cool, long growing season with bright natural acidity and outstanding fruit purity — producing a Merle of extraordinary concentration, mineral intensity, and structural precision.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTasting Notes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003ePale straw with a brilliant, crystalline clarity. The nose is immediately captivating — pure and lacy, with significant concentration of citrus fruit: lemon zest, lime juice, and green apple lead, layered with notes of green olive, gin and tonic botanicals, and a beautiful lavender floral lift that adds elegance and aromatic complexity. The minerality is the defining feature — a compelling thread of crushed rock, wet slate, and flinty precision that runs through every element of the wine. On the palate, the wine is focused and racy — vibrant, mouthwatering acidity, a taut, linear structure, and a long, mineral, citrus-driven finish of extraordinary persistence and precision. Clare Valley Riesling at its most pure and intellectually compelling. \u003cstrong\u003e96pts James Halliday.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStyle \u0026amp; Drinking Window\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eLight to medium-bodied with electric acidity and a bone-dry, racy mineral finish. Drinking magnificently now and will continue to develop and reward patience through 2034–2040 and beyond — great Clare Valley Riesling ages like few other white wines on earth. Serve well-chilled at 8–10°C in a large white wine or Riesling glass. No decanting required.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe racy acidity, citrus precision, and crushed-rock minerality of the 2024 Pikes The Merle Reserve Riesling make it a beautiful match for \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.mymeatman.com\/products\/hokkaido-sashimi-grade-scallops\"\u003eHokkaido Sashimi-Grade Scallops\u003c\/a\u003e from \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.mymeatman.com\"\u003eMy Meat Man\u003c\/a\u003e. The wine's flinty mineral tension and lime zest brightness complement the sweet, delicate flesh of Hokkaido scallops beautifully — whether served raw as sashimi with a yuzu ponzu, pan-seared in brown butter with a squeeze of lemon, or grilled briefly over charcoal with a light miso glaze.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy This Is a Smart Buy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt HK$259, the 2024 Pikes The Merle Reserve Riesling is exceptional value for a 96-point, flagship Reserve Riesling from one of the Clare Valley's most celebrated family estates. Great Clare Valley Riesling ages like few other white wines on earth — developing extraordinary complexity, petrol, and honeyed depth over decades — and The Merle is built for exactly that journey. For collectors and enthusiasts seeking a benchmark Australian Riesling with genuine aging potential and critical acclaim, this is the vintage and the wine to buy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a Different Style?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/2022-henschke-peggys-hill-riesling\"\u003e2022 Henschke Peggy's Hill Riesling\u003c\/a\u003e — From one of Australia's most iconic family estates in the Eden Valley — pure, floral, and beautifully crafted Riesling with exceptional elegance and length.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/2022-paulett-polish-hill-river-riesling\"\u003e2022 Paulett Polish Hill River Riesling\u003c\/a\u003e — From the Clare Valley's most distinctive sub-region — steely, mineral, and classically structured Polish Hill Riesling at an outstanding price.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/2021-pikes-the-merle-reserve-riesling\"\u003e2021 Pikes The Merle Reserve Riesling\u003c\/a\u003e — The previous vintage of the same flagship Reserve, also 96pts Halliday, drinking beautifully now with a decade-plus ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0699\/6194\/1061\/files\/life_is_too_short_to_drink_bad_wine-1.jpg?v=1778312714\" alt=\"Life is too short to drink bad wine\" style=\"max-width: 100%; width: 400px; height: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Wine Man","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44879688597573,"sku":null,"price":259.0,"currency_code":"HKD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0699\/6194\/1061\/files\/2024-pikes-the-merle-reserve-riesling.jpg?v=1778584081","url":"https:\/\/www.mywineman.com\/products\/2024-pikes-the-merle-reserve-riesling","provider":"My Wine Man","version":"1.0","type":"link"}