Alkina Wine Estate
Barossa Valley, South Australia
Winemakers: Amilia Nolan
Alkina was established in 2015 when Argentinian vintner Alejandro Bulgheroni purchased a 60 hectare farm near Greenock in the North Western corner of the Barossa Valley.
With 70 year old vines and 170 year old stone buildings in need of repair, Amelia Nolan was tasked with bringing new life to the old bones of the farm. With the guidance of acclaimed winemaker Alberto Antonini, terroir expert Pedro Parra and a strong local team, Alkina is now a magical place with terroir winegrowing and regenerative farming at its heart.
2021 Kin Semillon - New Release
Following the theme of previous years, 2021 was a low yielding vintage of excellent quality. Yields were at least 50% down on the long term average. Winter and spring saw lower than average rainfall with some particularly temperamental weather experienced in spring. December and January were hot and dry, but February provided much needed relief allowing gentle, slower ripening before vintage. Semillon all came from the old vines in the Old Quarter. NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. Fruit was picked early at 11.8 baumé before being de-stemmed and then fermented as whole berries in our Georgian Qvevri as well as a stainless steel tank. After being fermented with indigenous yeast, the juice was left on skins for six months to help build texture and Complexity.
2021 Kin Grenache Rosé - New Release
Following the theme of previous years, 2021 was a low yielding vintage of excellent quality. Yields were at least 50% down on the long term average. Winter and spring saw lower than average rainfall with some particularly temperamental weather experienced in spring. December and January were hot and dry, but February provided much needed relief allowing gentle, slower ripening before vintage. Some older vine fruit as well as young vine material from Block 22 provided the perfect fruit for this style of wine. 100% Grenache, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. Fruit was picked early and then transferred to the winery where it was de-stemmed and the free run juice moved into one concrete tulip, with some whole berries added back in at this stage. It was then pressed to stainless steel for a month before bottling in mid 2020.
2020 Kin Grenache
Following the theme of previous years, 2020 was a low yielding vintage of excellent quality. Yields were at least 50% down on the long term average. Winter and spring saw lower than average rainfall with some particularly temperamental weather experienced in spring. December and January were hot and dry, but February provided much needed relief allowing gentle, slower ripening before vintage. Fruit came from blocks 18 and 22, both planted in 2016. Block 18 is on a schist base with some limestone, while Block 22 has bush vines planted on the contours. It’s very rocky (schist and quartzite) with limited topsoil. 100% Grenache, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. Fruit was hand picked and then fermented as 100% whole bunches in three concrete tulips.One of these was left on skins for 4 months. Components were matured in concrete before being bottled in Oct 2020.
With 70 year old vines and 170 year old stone buildings in need of repair, Amelia Nolan was tasked with bringing new life to the old bones of the farm. With the guidance of acclaimed winemaker Alberto Antonini, terroir expert Pedro Parra and a strong local team, Alkina is now a magical place with terroir winegrowing and regenerative farming at its heart.
2021 Kin Semillon - New Release
Following the theme of previous years, 2021 was a low yielding vintage of excellent quality. Yields were at least 50% down on the long term average. Winter and spring saw lower than average rainfall with some particularly temperamental weather experienced in spring. December and January were hot and dry, but February provided much needed relief allowing gentle, slower ripening before vintage. Semillon all came from the old vines in the Old Quarter. NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. Fruit was picked early at 11.8 baumé before being de-stemmed and then fermented as whole berries in our Georgian Qvevri as well as a stainless steel tank. After being fermented with indigenous yeast, the juice was left on skins for six months to help build texture and Complexity.
2021 Kin Grenache Rosé - New Release
Following the theme of previous years, 2021 was a low yielding vintage of excellent quality. Yields were at least 50% down on the long term average. Winter and spring saw lower than average rainfall with some particularly temperamental weather experienced in spring. December and January were hot and dry, but February provided much needed relief allowing gentle, slower ripening before vintage. Some older vine fruit as well as young vine material from Block 22 provided the perfect fruit for this style of wine. 100% Grenache, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. Fruit was picked early and then transferred to the winery where it was de-stemmed and the free run juice moved into one concrete tulip, with some whole berries added back in at this stage. It was then pressed to stainless steel for a month before bottling in mid 2020.
2020 Kin Grenache
Following the theme of previous years, 2020 was a low yielding vintage of excellent quality. Yields were at least 50% down on the long term average. Winter and spring saw lower than average rainfall with some particularly temperamental weather experienced in spring. December and January were hot and dry, but February provided much needed relief allowing gentle, slower ripening before vintage. Fruit came from blocks 18 and 22, both planted in 2016. Block 18 is on a schist base with some limestone, while Block 22 has bush vines planted on the contours. It’s very rocky (schist and quartzite) with limited topsoil. 100% Grenache, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. Fruit was hand picked and then fermented as 100% whole bunches in three concrete tulips.One of these was left on skins for 4 months. Components were matured in concrete before being bottled in Oct 2020.
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2019 Kin Field White - Sold Out
2019 was an exceptional Barossa vintage, but also one with the lowest yields in the past decade. Dry conditions in winter and spring were followed by frost events during budburst and wind during flowering. January and February were warm and the fruit was picked on 20 February2019. The co-planted varieties all came from the Old Quarter of the vineyard. 95% Semillon, 5% Riesling and Ugni Blanc, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. The three varieties were picked together and completely de-stemmed and fermented on their skins. After being fermented with indigenous yeast, 670L was transferred into a Georgian clay qvevri with a skins to juice ratio of 40:60. The qvevri was sealed with wax for maturation and then opened and pressed in November 2019.
2018 Kin Field Red - New Release
2018 was a high quality Barossa vintage with average yields. Winter rainfall was strong but spring and summer were below average. Conditions in January and February were dry and warm with the latter significant for its higher than average night time temperatures. Fruit for this blend was picked in late February and early March. The parcels of fruit came from older and younger vines on varying geologies in the Alkina vineyard.
45% Grenache, 45% Shiraz, 10% Mataro, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. The three varieties were picked and vinified separately before being brought together in a blend. Each was fermented with indigenous yeast and then matured in a mixture of concrete and oak vessels. An average of 40% was left as whole bunches.
2019 was an exceptional Barossa vintage, but also one with the lowest yields in the past decade. Dry conditions in winter and spring were followed by frost events during budburst and wind during flowering. January and February were warm and the fruit was picked on 20 February2019. The co-planted varieties all came from the Old Quarter of the vineyard. 95% Semillon, 5% Riesling and Ugni Blanc, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. The three varieties were picked together and completely de-stemmed and fermented on their skins. After being fermented with indigenous yeast, 670L was transferred into a Georgian clay qvevri with a skins to juice ratio of 40:60. The qvevri was sealed with wax for maturation and then opened and pressed in November 2019.
2018 Kin Field Red - New Release
2018 was a high quality Barossa vintage with average yields. Winter rainfall was strong but spring and summer were below average. Conditions in January and February were dry and warm with the latter significant for its higher than average night time temperatures. Fruit for this blend was picked in late February and early March. The parcels of fruit came from older and younger vines on varying geologies in the Alkina vineyard.
45% Grenache, 45% Shiraz, 10% Mataro, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. The three varieties were picked and vinified separately before being brought together in a blend. Each was fermented with indigenous yeast and then matured in a mixture of concrete and oak vessels. An average of 40% was left as whole bunches.
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2019 Alkina Old Quarter - New Release
2019 was an exceptional Barossa vintage, but also one with the lowest yields in the past decade. Dry conditions in winter and spring were followed by frost events during budburst and wind during flowering. January and February were warm, leading to the harvest, throughout February, of small quantities of intense fruit. We mapped the Old Quarter to reveal very specific parcels of vines that are unique in their geologies. We call these Polygons, with each being on predominantly limestone, schist or clay bases. The characteristics of Old Quarter are underpinned by the intense Grenache from Polygon 4 which consists of schist and clay that is complemented with the lighter material from Polygon 2 on hard schist and wind blown limestone. These components were blended with the Mataro from P6 and the Shiraz from P8 and P7. 50% Grenache, 29% Shiraz, 21% Mataro, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. Tiny quantities of these 3 varieties were hand picked and sorted, then fermented separately with only indigenous yeast in concrete tulips. An average of 70% was left as whole bunches. Basket pressed and matured for 12 months in concrete and one older French oak Gamba demi-muid.
2019 was an exceptional Barossa vintage, but also one with the lowest yields in the past decade. Dry conditions in winter and spring were followed by frost events during budburst and wind during flowering. January and February were warm, leading to the harvest, throughout February, of small quantities of intense fruit. We mapped the Old Quarter to reveal very specific parcels of vines that are unique in their geologies. We call these Polygons, with each being on predominantly limestone, schist or clay bases. The characteristics of Old Quarter are underpinned by the intense Grenache from Polygon 4 which consists of schist and clay that is complemented with the lighter material from Polygon 2 on hard schist and wind blown limestone. These components were blended with the Mataro from P6 and the Shiraz from P8 and P7. 50% Grenache, 29% Shiraz, 21% Mataro, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. Tiny quantities of these 3 varieties were hand picked and sorted, then fermented separately with only indigenous yeast in concrete tulips. An average of 70% was left as whole bunches. Basket pressed and matured for 12 months in concrete and one older French oak Gamba demi-muid.
There are three polygons that have, since the very early days, looked like they could stand apart as Single Polygon wines. Polygon 3 is 0.274 hectares (ha) and approximately 200 vines. Its soil profile is shallow red brown earth over deep chalky, sedimentary limestone which contains fractured schist and limited iron. Polygon 5 comprises two similar parcels of 0.12ha and 0.25ha, a total of 0.37ha. These Polygon 5 sections have deeper soils and well fractured schist with ferric clay (within the fractures).
Polygon 1 was defined in Pedro’s second visit in 2018. The block is 0.4ha which Pedro divided into separate areas and recommended that we exclude one section of 0.097ha which lacks the fractured schist of the other sections.
2019 Alkina Polygon 1 - New Release
2019 was an exceptional Barossa vintage, but also one with the lowest yields in the past decade. Dry conditions in winter and spring were followed by frost events during bud burst and wind during flowering. January and February were warm, leading to an earlier than normal harvest. Just 610kg of Polygon 1 Shiraz was picked on 20 February 2019. This 0.4 hectare polygon is part of the Old Quarter of the vineyard and was split into four distinct parcels by our terroir specialist, Pedro Parra, during his second visit in 2018. Three parcels of vines sit on heavily fractured micaceous schist. One small area of 0.097 hectares in the middle lacks this schist content and is excluded from the ferment. 100% Syrah, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. The tiny quantity of hand picked fruit was transferred to the winery just 20 metres away, where it was fermented with indigenous yeast in a concrete tulip. It was left as 100% whole bunches. Basket pressed and matured for nine months in a ten year old 400L barrel.
2018 Alkina Polygon 3 - New Release
2018 was a high quality Barossa vintage with average yields. Winter rainfall was strong but spring and summer were below average. Conditions in January and February were dry and warm with the latter significant for its higher than average night time temperatures. Just 718kg of healthy fruit was picked from Polygon 3 on 7 March 2018. Polygon No. 3 is just 0.274 hectares in size and contains approximately 200 vines. Working with terroir specialist, Pedro Parra, we identified this polygon to be unique in its limestone content. There is shallow red brown earth over deep chalky sedimentary limestone which contains fractured schist and the limited presence of iron. 100% Grenache, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. The fruit was hand picked and sorted before being fermented with only indigenous yeast in one 1700L concrete tulip. 50% of the fruit was left as whole bunches and the rest de-stemmed by hand. Basket pressed and matured for 15months in ten year old 400L barrel.
2018 Alkina Polygon 5 - New Release
2018 was a high qualityBarossa vintage with average yields. Winter rainfall was strong but spring and summer were below average. Conditions in January and February were dry and warm with the latter significant for its higher than average night time temperatures. 1537 kg of healthy fruit was picked from Polygon 5 on 7 March 2018. Polygon No. 5 consists of two very similar nearby parcels making up 0.37 hectares in size. Working with terroir specialist, Pedro Parra, we identified this polygon to be uniquely significant because of its heavily fractured schist composition. There are deeper soils sitting above a thick band of micaceous schist that contains veins of iron-rich clay within the fractures. 100% Grenache NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. The fruit was hand picked and sorted before being fermented with only indigenous yeast in one 1700L concrete tulip. 30% of the fruit was left as whole bunches and the rest de-stemmed by hand. Basket pressed and matured in one 700L Nomblot concrete egg for 15 months.
Polygon 1 was defined in Pedro’s second visit in 2018. The block is 0.4ha which Pedro divided into separate areas and recommended that we exclude one section of 0.097ha which lacks the fractured schist of the other sections.
2019 Alkina Polygon 1 - New Release
2019 was an exceptional Barossa vintage, but also one with the lowest yields in the past decade. Dry conditions in winter and spring were followed by frost events during bud burst and wind during flowering. January and February were warm, leading to an earlier than normal harvest. Just 610kg of Polygon 1 Shiraz was picked on 20 February 2019. This 0.4 hectare polygon is part of the Old Quarter of the vineyard and was split into four distinct parcels by our terroir specialist, Pedro Parra, during his second visit in 2018. Three parcels of vines sit on heavily fractured micaceous schist. One small area of 0.097 hectares in the middle lacks this schist content and is excluded from the ferment. 100% Syrah, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. The tiny quantity of hand picked fruit was transferred to the winery just 20 metres away, where it was fermented with indigenous yeast in a concrete tulip. It was left as 100% whole bunches. Basket pressed and matured for nine months in a ten year old 400L barrel.
2018 Alkina Polygon 3 - New Release
2018 was a high quality Barossa vintage with average yields. Winter rainfall was strong but spring and summer were below average. Conditions in January and February were dry and warm with the latter significant for its higher than average night time temperatures. Just 718kg of healthy fruit was picked from Polygon 3 on 7 March 2018. Polygon No. 3 is just 0.274 hectares in size and contains approximately 200 vines. Working with terroir specialist, Pedro Parra, we identified this polygon to be unique in its limestone content. There is shallow red brown earth over deep chalky sedimentary limestone which contains fractured schist and the limited presence of iron. 100% Grenache, NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. The fruit was hand picked and sorted before being fermented with only indigenous yeast in one 1700L concrete tulip. 50% of the fruit was left as whole bunches and the rest de-stemmed by hand. Basket pressed and matured for 15months in ten year old 400L barrel.
2018 Alkina Polygon 5 - New Release
2018 was a high qualityBarossa vintage with average yields. Winter rainfall was strong but spring and summer were below average. Conditions in January and February were dry and warm with the latter significant for its higher than average night time temperatures. 1537 kg of healthy fruit was picked from Polygon 5 on 7 March 2018. Polygon No. 5 consists of two very similar nearby parcels making up 0.37 hectares in size. Working with terroir specialist, Pedro Parra, we identified this polygon to be uniquely significant because of its heavily fractured schist composition. There are deeper soils sitting above a thick band of micaceous schist that contains veins of iron-rich clay within the fractures. 100% Grenache NASAA certified organic and biodynamic. The fruit was hand picked and sorted before being fermented with only indigenous yeast in one 1700L concrete tulip. 30% of the fruit was left as whole bunches and the rest de-stemmed by hand. Basket pressed and matured in one 700L Nomblot concrete egg for 15 months.
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