Limefinger Solace Polish Hill River Riesling 2022

Riesling master, Neil Pike, has retired from the family business and is now making tiny quantities of exceptional wines from some premier vineyard sites. They are world class Rieslings and preference will come down to simply a personal choice. My recommendation would be some of each, both for enjoying now and especially to cellar. These will go for years and will blossom into something amazing. If forced to pick, I’d opt for the Watervale (Learnings) today and the Polish Hill River (Solace) for down the track. They are both classic examples of their subregions. The grapes for Solace are sourced from Neil’s ‘Home Block’ in the centre of Polish Hill River at 440 metres elevation. The vineyard was planted in 1994 on own rootstocks in red/brown loam over broken red/blue slate and yellow clay.

Palest yellow in colour, this is perfumed, elegant, refined, focused, balanced and immaculately structured. We have notes of lemons, spices, florals, a hint of bath salts and talc, river stones and minerals. A very fine, lacy palate – silk captured in a glass with great length and more evidence of the spectacular 2022 vintage. Bracing acidity, which never intrudes, the finish lingers and lingers while always maintaining intensity. Drink for ten to fifteen years, probably more. Pikey, who apparently now refers to himself as ‘Old Limey’, sees it as one of the best wines he has ever made. Who am I to contradict Old Limey? Pair this with a plate of oysters and that is magic that not even Dumbledore could match.

Ken Gargett

Contributor at Winepilot

Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.

Wine writer and critic