2025 Limefinger The Solace Polish Hill River Riesling
2025 Limefinger The Solace Polish Hill River Riesling

2025 Limefinger The Solace Polish Hill River Riesling

97 pts
Limefinger |Clare Valley |Riesling
An acid-driven and thirst-quenching Riesling with finesse and texture, from one of the Clare's most-loved winemakers.
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
1 Review
Price:
$45.00
Stock:
Sold out
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Description

The Solace Polish Hill River Riesling is a powerhouse of a wine, with acid aplenty and a sumptuous texture that demonstrates why this subregion is so special.

Sourced from vines planted in 1994 on Neil Pike's own Home Block vineyard (yes, planted around his house!), the east-west orientation ensures the grapes attain full ripeness through almost constant exposure to the sun during the day. The soil of red loam, red/blue slate and yellow clay - which is quite typical of Polish Hill - imparts wonderful minerality.

While often a bit shy on the nose when young, this Riesling develops pure and bright aromas of stone fruit, citrus and spice in the glass, and it can age comfortably for 10 years.

97 points
"Down on volume but the quality remains sky high, this is brilliance in a bottle."
- Qwine Review

96 points
"A delicate wine, nervous and agile and hugely mouth-watering. Perhaps best drunk with youth on its side; a stellar riesling emerges from the glass right now."
- Mike Bennie (Halliday Wine Companion)
95 points
"Such a refreshing and interesting expression of Riesling."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Qwine Review

www.qwinereviews.com 97 Points

The best of the best stand up in challenging times and Neil Pike reigns supreme from a frost-impacted 2025. Down on volume but the quality remains sky high, this is brilliance in a bottle. I walked these rows in January. The impact of frost was telling, not to mention the severe lack of water in the region. The bunches were tiny but with Magic Hands Pike at the wheel, rest assured you’re on the right bus. Down 80% on previous vintages, only 780 bottles were produced from Pike’s Polish Hill site which sits a steady one wood from the Polish Hill River Church Museum.

The focus and intensity of the fruit cannot be denied. Juicy limes are all the rage, crushed white petals, bath salts and a flash of musk. Chalky feels lay a solid foundation through the mouth with a green apple crunch, lime pith and Bickford’s lime cordial. The slately minerally soils tap away in the background, but just like the Learnings Watervale, there is an incredible delicacy and polish. Every element is in precise balance. Many Rieslings call for ice-cold throwbacks, but this asks you to pause, consider and savour every drop. Please do. For the challenges faced, this is sheer brilliance and delight all rolled into one.

Mike Bennie

Mike Bennie

Halliday Wine Companion 96 Points

A horrific frost wiped out around 80% of fruit in the Solace block. The result is that only 780 bottles of this wine were produced. Despite the difficult growing season, this is a wild success. It feels energetic, tense and racy, a slingshot of cumquat, tart lime, quartz-like mineral feel, slate and some flinty elements. A chalky pucker to texture lends a sense of structure; the finish is a trickle of peppery spice and briny minerality. A delicate wine, nervous and agile and hugely mouth-watering. Perhaps best drunk with youth on its side; a stellar riesling emerges from the glass right now.

Gary Walsh

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front 95 Points

Juicy and intense. Lime, cape gooseberry, green mango, some floral perfume. Lots of flinty bits and stony grip, mouth-watering, crunchy and long to close with a twist of tonic and lime rind in the aftertaste. Such a refreshing and interesting expression of Riesling.

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 1 review
Total 5 star reviews: 1 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
1 review
  • AH
    Adrian H.
    Verified Buyer
    21 hours ago
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Riesling Wizard

    Clear, very little colour development. Floral, white flowers, white peach almost musk like aromas evidence of great yeast selection. Searing acidity, minerality, salty, slatey, flavors dominate the palate and ensure a lengthy cellaring proposition. This wine will be superb in 5 to 8 years, when the acid integrates and the fruit flavors develop. Great wine, Great value, Great winemaker.

    Was this helpful?

“The Solace” Riesling is sourced from our own “Home Block” right in the centre of Polish Hill River (PHR) at 440m elevation. The vines were planted on their own roots in 1994 on red/brown loam over broken red/blue slate and yellow clay. Typical PHR.


Given time the fruit begins to uncoil itself from around the spine of acid and talc-like texture to reveal the beautiful lemon/lime characters that are often hidden early on. Left to age in the cellar for 7-10 years the gorgeous lemon butter aged characteristics of PHR Riesling will emerge.


Making wine from this block for almost thirty years has been a privilege. With more time on my hands these days, I have been able to find a place of peace and Solace in the pruning, growing and picking of the grapes from this lovely little patch of heaven.

Price Bracket $41 to $50
Type White
Body Light Bodied
Variety Riesling
Variety Style ["Dry Riesling"]
Country Australia
Region Clare Valley
Australian State SA
Feature High Score
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Halliday Wine Companion
Q Wine Reviews
Critic Score 97
96
95
Size 750ml
Vintage 2025
Closure Screw Cap

Limefinger

After a lifetime dedicated to wine, you would think that an illustrious winemaker such as Neil Pike would want to settle down and drink wine rather than make it. Not so.

Limefinger is his "retirement project", where he grows grapes and sources fruit from trusted growers (solely Riesling), with a clear focus on sustainability at all stages of farming and production.

Given that the focus is on Riesling, it's probably no surprise that the wines on offer are from the Watervale and Polish Hill subregions. The production remains tiny (only a few thousand bottles of each wine) so they're quickly snapped up after release each year.

Neil Pike of Limefinger Limefinger

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