Alkina Wine Estates
About Alkina Wine Estates
As noble a vinous quest as any in recent years, Argentine billionaire Alejandro Bulgheroni set out to establish a winery whose focus would be on the transparent expression of the finest Barossa terroir. A far-cry from heavy oak usage, massive extraction and emanating ripeness, the wines of his Alkina project are an altogether more Burgundian prospect. Already turning heads for doing exactly what they set out to do, redefining people’s preconceived notions of Barossa as a region, we are thrilled to present three of the sublime wines from this exciting project.
Whilst its name translates to “moon” or “moonlight”, Alkina has a decidedly terrestrial focus with a deep respect for the land and transparency of place. Founded as recently as 2015, the estate covers 60 hectares in total and has always been farmed following strict organic and biodynamic principles with the aim of nurturing beautiful micro-terroirs which are dubbed “Polygons”.
Viniculture
Under the watchful eye of Alberto Antonini coupled with the expert knowledge of famed consultant Pedro Parra, each specific parcel of vines has developed thoroughly unique characteristics despite being as small as 0.3 hectares in some cases! Far from a painless process, however, Parra compiled one of the most detailed terroir analyses ever seen using Electro Conductivity Mapping Technology to identify suitable sites for the Polygons hidden amongst the 700-million-year-old soils.
Extremely low-intervention in their approach to winemaking with far more restrained use of wood than many of their more famous and established Barossa peers, the purity and balance of these wines is immediately evident. Significant use of concrete tulips, especially during fermentation, is deeply unusual in this part of the world, giving rise to a freshness practically unseen in the Valley.
-
Inc. VAT£136.84 -
Inc. VAT£175.61 -
Inc. VAT£529.24
-
Decanter (98)
Delicate yet formidable, this wine’s dense, multiple layers of complex texture and flavour speak eloquently. There’s fresh raspberry and graphite, rhubarb and red earth, dark plum and ironstone, and a suggestion of sage and nutmeg among blackberry bite, caressed by fine tannins. Sourced from only 200 vines planted in the 1950s, this 0.27ha micro-terroir boasts red-brown earth over limestone with traces of iron, providing fruit of rare depth and concentration. More sensuous and ethereal that its raw-boned sibling Alkina Polygon 5, but their common characteristic is extraordinary length of the purest flavours.Inc. VAT£366.41 -
Decanter (98)
Delicate yet formidable, this wine’s dense, multiple layers of complex texture and flavour speak eloquently. There’s fresh raspberry and graphite, rhubarb and red earth, dark plum and ironstone, and a suggestion of sage and nutmeg among blackberry bite, caressed by fine tannins. Sourced from only 200 vines planted in the 1950s, this 0.27ha micro-terroir boasts red-brown earth over limestone with traces of iron, providing fruit of rare depth and concentration. More sensuous and ethereal that its raw-boned sibling Alkina Polygon 5, but their common characteristic is extraordinary length of the purest flavours.Inc. VAT£543.62 -
The World of Fine Wine (98)
Red and purples. There is a complex yet glorious aroma to this wine. Blueberries, spices, chocolate. Wonderfully fragrant. the texture is compellingly supple. Finely balanced and with a pleasing flick of vibrant acidity. Cherries emerge on the palate and a tobacco-leaf/cigar-box note (reminiscent of a fine Cohiba Siglo VI). Chalky the tannins might be, but they quickly dissolve into something wonderfully cushiony and gentle. Elegance personified. A superb Grenache.Inc. VAT£366.41 -
The World of Fine Wine (98)
Red and purples. There is a complex yet glorious aroma to this wine. Blueberries, spices, chocolate. Wonderfully fragrant. the texture is compellingly supple. Finely balanced and with a pleasing flick of vibrant acidity. Cherries emerge on the palate and a tobacco-leaf/cigar-box note (reminiscent of a fine Cohiba Siglo VI). Chalky the tannins might be, but they quickly dissolve into something wonderfully cushiony and gentle. Elegance personified. A superb Grenache.Inc. VAT£549.62 -
The World of Fine Wine (97)
Even darker in colour than No. 3, and the aroma here is a little more closed at even this early stage, not quite as alluring. Warm earth, chocolate, black fruits, a hint of woodsmoke. This is more burly, more concentrated. Excellent complexity. The tannins here are not as cashmere-like - more chalky and firmer, more mouth-coating; perhaps more what one expects from Grenache. Fuller in flavor, great structure, bright acidity, and a very long finish. Another superb wine and again, a great future. Indeed, this would seem to have an even longer-focus than No. 3.Inc. VAT£366.41 -
The World of Fine Wine (97)
Even darker in colour than No. 3, and the aroma here is a little more closed at even this early stage, not quite as alluring. Warm earth, chocolate, black fruits, a hint of woodsmoke. This is more burly, more concentrated. Excellent complexity. The tannins here are not as cashmere-like - more chalky and firmer, more mouth-coating; perhaps more what one expects from Grenache. Fuller in flavor, great structure, bright acidity, and a very long finish. Another superb wine and again, a great future. Indeed, this would seem to have an even longer-focus than No. 3.Inc. VAT£477.62
-
In Bond£98.00
-
In Bond£141.00
-
In Bond£425.00
-
Decanter (98)
Delicate yet formidable, this wine’s dense, multiple layers of complex texture and flavour speak eloquently. There’s fresh raspberry and graphite, rhubarb and red earth, dark plum and ironstone, and a suggestion of sage and nutmeg among blackberry bite, caressed by fine tannins. Sourced from only 200 vines planted in the 1950s, this 0.27ha micro-terroir boasts red-brown earth over limestone with traces of iron, providing fruit of rare depth and concentration. More sensuous and ethereal that its raw-boned sibling Alkina Polygon 5, but their common characteristic is extraordinary length of the purest flavours.In Bond£300.00 -
Decanter (98)
Delicate yet formidable, this wine’s dense, multiple layers of complex texture and flavour speak eloquently. There’s fresh raspberry and graphite, rhubarb and red earth, dark plum and ironstone, and a suggestion of sage and nutmeg among blackberry bite, caressed by fine tannins. Sourced from only 200 vines planted in the 1950s, this 0.27ha micro-terroir boasts red-brown earth over limestone with traces of iron, providing fruit of rare depth and concentration. More sensuous and ethereal that its raw-boned sibling Alkina Polygon 5, but their common characteristic is extraordinary length of the purest flavours.In Bond£445.00 -
The World of Fine Wine (98)
Red and purples. There is a complex yet glorious aroma to this wine. Blueberries, spices, chocolate. Wonderfully fragrant. the texture is compellingly supple. Finely balanced and with a pleasing flick of vibrant acidity. Cherries emerge on the palate and a tobacco-leaf/cigar-box note (reminiscent of a fine Cohiba Siglo VI). Chalky the tannins might be, but they quickly dissolve into something wonderfully cushiony and gentle. Elegance personified. A superb Grenache.In Bond£300.00 -
The World of Fine Wine (98)
Red and purples. There is a complex yet glorious aroma to this wine. Blueberries, spices, chocolate. Wonderfully fragrant. the texture is compellingly supple. Finely balanced and with a pleasing flick of vibrant acidity. Cherries emerge on the palate and a tobacco-leaf/cigar-box note (reminiscent of a fine Cohiba Siglo VI). Chalky the tannins might be, but they quickly dissolve into something wonderfully cushiony and gentle. Elegance personified. A superb Grenache.In Bond£450.00 -
The World of Fine Wine (97)
Even darker in colour than No. 3, and the aroma here is a little more closed at even this early stage, not quite as alluring. Warm earth, chocolate, black fruits, a hint of woodsmoke. This is more burly, more concentrated. Excellent complexity. The tannins here are not as cashmere-like - more chalky and firmer, more mouth-coating; perhaps more what one expects from Grenache. Fuller in flavor, great structure, bright acidity, and a very long finish. Another superb wine and again, a great future. Indeed, this would seem to have an even longer-focus than No. 3.In Bond£300.00 -
The World of Fine Wine (97)
Even darker in colour than No. 3, and the aroma here is a little more closed at even this early stage, not quite as alluring. Warm earth, chocolate, black fruits, a hint of woodsmoke. This is more burly, more concentrated. Excellent complexity. The tannins here are not as cashmere-like - more chalky and firmer, more mouth-coating; perhaps more what one expects from Grenache. Fuller in flavor, great structure, bright acidity, and a very long finish. Another superb wine and again, a great future. Indeed, this would seem to have an even longer-focus than No. 3.In Bond£390.00
