Alkina Kin Shiraz 2023 is a medium-bodied, flavoursome wine that captures the essence of the cool 2023 season. Its dark rose, liquorice, and tea aromatics are complemented by classic western ridge depth and violet perfume. This wine also boasts a schist, rocky core, making it a true standout.
"Three different parcels of young- and old-vine shiraz fruit in the blend, 85% whole bunches, fermented in concrete tulips (P14 went into foudre) and matured for six months before blending. A wonderful, cohesive wine, plush with ripe plum and blackberry fruits yet savoury, layered with spice, blossom and earthen tones, tannins like powdered sand and a crystalline mineral cadence tempering the fruit. Seems very comfortable in its own skin, and it IS delicious." 93 Points - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
"There’s sweet fruit flavour in the centre; there’s savouriness spreading to all corners. There’s a fair bit going on here and yet it feels cohesive. It tastes of pure blackberry and plum though there’s hay, mint, wet concrete and graphite-like nuances, and both aromatic herbs and smoky reduction too. Everything here feels neat, ordered and in unison. Tannin, particularly once the wine has had a chance to breathe, expands impressively through (what is in essence) a medium weight wine." 93 Points - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
Alkina is a new story on an old place. The certified organic and biodynamic farm has 43 hectares of vines planted to Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro and Semillon, with the oldest vines dating from the 1950s.
Even though 2023 will generally go down as a cool, wet and challenging year, we’re delighted with the results. Freshness and purity are hallmarks of the vintage. Our healthy organic vineyard showed its resilience against mildew and other dangers and the late start to the season meant flavour and sugar ripeness dovetailed nicely. Most of our fruit came in over an intense 11 day period in late March before the weather turned cold and wet again.
Fruit for 2023 Kin Shiraz came from younger estate plantings and was picked between 23 and 26 March. Block 23, lying on schist and clay, provides energy and structure, making up 56% of the blend. Polygon 10 (on limestone (9%)) and Polygon 14 (on clay (14%)) bring depth and cool intensity. The blend is completed by Shiraz from Block 38 (on silt and sandstone) and Mataro (8%).
Each block of Shiraz was fermented separately with differing levels of whole bunch according to geology of the soil. Block 23 and Polygon 10 were fermented as 80% and 100% whole bunch, with a total of three weeks on skins before pressing to concrete tulip. Fleshy fruit from Polygon 14 and Block 38 were fermented as 50% and 30% whole bunches, before pressing to large format oak for maturation. All Mataro was destemmed and fermented and matured in concrete. All ferments wild.
