2017 Pikes Traditionale Dry Riesling Clare Valley Australia 750 ml

Pikes Traditionale Dry Riesling from Clare Valley, Australia has developed a cult-like following as Australia’s best dry Riesling, and the 96-point 2017 is one of our highest-rated Rieslings ever. At $23 per bottle on cases, it’s also an insanely affordable invitation to experience one of the world’s defining wine styles—what Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson call “one of Riesling’s great archetypes.”

Pikes “Trad” is a steely and aromatic benchmark of the region, and 2017 marks the bottling’s 33rd vintage. Australian wine authority James Halliday, who crowned the 2017 with 96 points and a Special Value honor, was backed up by Decanter’s glowing 93-point review, which gushed over Pikes “refreshing lemon spritz and a hint of wet stones,” “real vitality and intensity of flavour, and just a touch of sweetness on the finish.”

That tasting note doubles as a spot-on description of what Riesling aspires to be, whether it’s from Clare Valley or the world-class vineyards of Europe. For lovers of Riesling, we need say no more. But any white wine lovers—and any wine lovers, period—should get in on this exemplar of Clare Valley Riesling. It’s one of the world’s greats, and with a 96-point rating and under-$25 price tag on cases, today is a rare opportunity to taste one of the world's best Rieslings.

Clare Valley is one of Australia’s most historic wine regions, although it’s often overshadowed by the close and more famous Barossa. That means that isolated Clare Valley is still led by small operations that can farm and make wine the way they want, free of outside influence and pressure.

Pikes embodies that ethos. It’s been a mainstay in Australia’s Clare Valley since 1885, when the family established Pikes Dorset Brewery. The family’s wine estate is in Polish Hill, a name that’s most famous for being on the label of the stellar Grosset Rieslings, an area in northwest Clare Valley that’s perfect for producing steely and aromatic Riesling. There, largely ungrafted vines grow in soils that consist of well-draining red-brown soil over clay, with broken bluestone and slate—similar to the soils that make Mosel, Germany so precious.

These special soils, plus the the area’s cool climate, make Polish Hill ground zero for minerally and racy Rieslings. The Pikes “Trad” is a stainless steel aged,  spotlessly clean, dry, and pure Riesling with fantastic aging potential. This is one of the most versatile and mouthwatering food wines on earth, and is a sublime pairing with shellfish. Secure a case, plan a night of cracked crab or lobster, and treat yourself to one of the true earthly delights. How many of those can be had for this price?