About the product
The 2019 Alkina “Polygon No. 3” is a rare, limited-production Grenache from a 0.274-hectare plot in the Barossa Valley, part of Alkina’s “Polygon Project” to isolate and study unique terroirs. The site is dominated by sedimentary limestone with fractured schist, shallow red-brown earth, and minimal iron, giving it a distinctive mineral character.
Vintage & Production
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Yield: Just 757 kg of healthy fruit picked on 25 Feb 2019, making it one of the lowest-yielding vintages in the past decade.
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Vine count: ~200 vines.
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Certifications: NASAA certified organic and biodynamic.
- Production: 490 bottles and 50 magnums.
Winemaking
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Fruit: Hand-picked, sorted, fermented with only indigenous yeast in a concrete tulip.
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Whole bunches: 70% of the fruit left whole, the rest destemmed by hand.
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Pressing: Basket pressed.
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Aging: 6 months in a 10-year-old puncheon, then transferred to stainless steel before bottling.
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Alcohol: 13.6%.
Style & Aromatics
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Nose: Blackberry, black plum, violet, cracked pepper, subtle earth.
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Aromatics: Red fruit, rose petals, amaro spice, pomegranate, green olive brine, graphite.
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Palate: Concentrated dark berry fruit, savory spice, fine tannins, balanced acidity.
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Texture: Powdery limestone-derived tannins, elegant and intense.
- Finish: Long, refined, with lingering black fruit, minerality, and spice.
Reviews
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James Suckling (2023): Stretched tannins bound to sweet cherry, raspberry, dried garrigue; fullish weight, tactile tannins, superb.
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Wine Advocate (2025): Redcurrant, leather, black pepper, graphite, pomegranate, green olive brine; more substantial than 2018, with heightened tannin through the finish; “magnificent and has decades to go”.
- James Halliday (2023): Airy, detailed, ethereal with clarity; plums, ironstone, rose petals, fine spices, gingerbread, rhubarb, sage, earth; tannins powdery, acidity precise.
Drinking Window
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Drinkable now, but best after 2025.
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Long aging potential — “has decades to go”.