NED GOODWIN MW - WINE OF THE WEEK
NED GOODWINE MW, JAMESSUCKLING.COM
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024
"Grenache is Australia’s call to arms, its cri de coeur. McLaren Vale may boast a bounty of high-quality expressions that are pallid of hue, pixelated of texture and exotic of allure, particularly from proxy grand crus Blewitt Springs and Clarendon, but Barossa has some gems, too. The finest is arguably the Alkina Grenache Polygon No. 3. I tasted the 2022 just last week.
The decision was made at this superlative address to release the 2022s, a vintage defined by lighter, more diaphanous wines, before the lauded 2021s. While both vintages were of the cooler, prolonged La Nĩna prototype, 2022 was the cooler and marked by a rain squall toward the end that marred the harvest for some. Alkina’s director and winemaker, Amelia Nolan, and “soil whisperer” Pedro Parra, however, suggest that the stringent organic work and identification of specific high-performing plots, or “polygons,” in the vineyard promoted earlier ripening, allowing the estate to salvage high-quality fruit well before the rain.
That said, this iteration is lighter and edgier than its splendid predecessor, the 2020. And yet there is a rewarding succulence to notes of fecund strawberry and dried herb, set in relief against the crunchy cadence and wash of schistous tannins, rippling from attack to a long, vibrant finish. I often compare the structure of this wine to top expressions from Priorat, such is the molten licorella energy.
Among the world’s finest grenache, this wine and its sibling, the Grenache Polygon No. 5, are worthy of a place in the cellars of both the discerning collector and swashbuckling drinker".
ALKINA POLYGON NO. 3 GRENACHE 2022, BAROSSA VALLEY
“An extremely fragrant, forensically detailed and intriguingly delicate wine in the context of grenache. Sap, crunch and a lifted pinot-like quality to this, as to be expected. A pixelated, slo-motion unravel of forestry red fruits, clove, tamarind and white pepper. Not quite the riper masterpiece of the 2020, perhaps. Yet this is a more chiffon-like weave of fruit and edgy tannins. The 2021s are yet to be released. A long linger, etching the gums and pulling the saliva in readiness for the next glass. Exceptional drinking. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. 96pts”
ALKINA POLYGON NO. 5 GRENACHE 2022, BAROSSA VALLEY
“2022 was a compressed vintage in the Barossa, delivering freshness over amplitude. Not a bad thing when it comes to the resolute urgency of now, such an important thing at times. Riffs on tamarind, dried rose, lime blossom and exotic citrus notes, all muddled with clove, ginger and bibs and bobs of the souk. A little less heft and grandeur of recent years, but no less fidelitous to place, type and philosophy. Plenty of marrow to suck on: real people, a great terroir and organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. 95pts”
ALKINA POLYGON NO. 1 SHIRAZ 2022, BAROSSA VALLEY
“A svelte, moreish, exotically fragrant and prodigiously detailed expression of Barossan shiraz, built from a foundation of levity over obvious power. Far from the Madding Crowd. Pithy, dried black olive, bergamot, licorice strap, violet and a murmur of licorella pungency. The sub-strata of this vineyard is limestone dominant, bolstered by clay. Little or no schist, apparently. The finish is pixelated and long, drawn taut by a vibrato of energy. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. 95pts”