Alkina 2020 "Old Quarter" GSM Barossa Valley 750ml

There is one wine at Alkina that tells the whole story of the property more completely than any other. The Polygon wines are about precision — fine-pointed, exact expressions of one specific piece of dirt, made in lots as small as forty cases. Old Quarter is the opposite instinct pursued with the same rigor: not a single varietal, not a single block, but a wine that draws from five separate polygon patches across three hectares of Alkina's oldest vineyard — and somehow arrives at something that defies being separated back into its components. As winemaker Amelia Nolan's team describes it, Old Quarter speaks of an accomplished completeness.

The vines themselves were planted in the 1950s by a member of the Kalleske family, on a property that Alejandro Bulgheroni — the Argentinian billionaire wine entrepreneur who owns twenty-one wine properties across six countries — purchased in 2015 on the northern edge of Greenock in the Barossa Valley. Soil scientist Pedro Parra and oenological consultant Alberto Antonini mapped the ground by geology, and Old Quarter draws its Grenache component specifically from Polygon 4, on clay and degraded schist — the wine assembled from certified organic and biodynamic fruit, with 70 to 100% whole-bunch fermentation, across the property's oldest and most storied corner of vines.

The blend in this style is Grenache-led — roughly 50% Grenache, 29% Shiraz, and 21% Mataro, the classic Southern Rhône-inspired GSM architecture rendered through Alkina's singular obsession with terroir. James Suckling awarded the 2021 vintage of Old Quarter 98 points — among the highest scores Alkina has ever received for any wine in the portfolio. The 2023 vintage drew similarly enthusiastic notes: "so perfumed and pretty, with dark aromas of blackberry compote, boysenberries, mulberry bush, fresh figs, graphite and spices. The palate is plush, with a rounded mouthfeel and fine-tuned tannins that have a minerally and metallic edge from aging in concrete. Wonderfully balanced." This is the wine that, more than any other single bottle in the Alkina range, captures what the whole project has been built to achieve.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Alkina Wine Estate occupies 60 hectares on the northern edge of Greenock, in the Barossa Valley's western ranges, purchased in 2015 by Alejandro Bulgheroni. The property included six hectares of vines planted in the 1950s by a member of the Kalleske family, alongside 170-year-old stone buildings that have since been carefully restored. Bulgheroni retained Chilean terroir scientist Pedro Parra and Italian oenological consultant Alberto Antonini, and installed South Australian winemaker Amelia Nolan to manage the property — a team whose collective approach to soil mapping at the individual-block level is, by most informed accounts, unmatched anywhere else in Australia.

Old Quarter takes its name from "The Old Quarter" — the specific area of the property containing those original 1950s plantings of Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro, and Semillon. Unlike the single-block Polygon wines, Old Quarter is a blend drawn from five separate polygon patches spanning three hectares of this older vineyard — certified organic and biodynamic Grenache, Shiraz, and Mataro fermented with 70 to 100% whole-bunch inclusion. The Grenache component is sourced specifically from Polygon 4, a parcel characterized by clay over degraded schist. The wine is fermented and aged using Alkina's consistent house philosophy: concrete vessels, minimal intervention, no synthetic additions, and — depending on vintage and component — extended maturation that imparts the minerally, slightly metallic edge that James Suckling specifically noted as a signature of concrete-aged fruit in this cuvée.

Critics Reviews

James Suckling — 98 Points (2021 vintage, confirmed via Alkina's own press archive):
Among the highest scores ever received by any Alkina wine.

James Suckling (2023 vintage):
"So perfumed and pretty, with dark aromas of blackberry compote, boysenberries, mulberry bush, fresh figs, graphite and spices. The palate is plush, with a rounded mouthfeel and fine-tuned tannins that have a minerally and metallic edge from aging in concrete. A vibrant and focused release of this cuvee, made from 55% grenache, 28% shiraz and 17% mataro. Wonderfully balanced. Drink or hold."

James Suckling (2022 vintage, for context):
"This 2022 GSM blend has appealing generosity of meaty, spicy aromas..."

Tony Love / Winepilot (program characterization):
"There also is one wine here that tells the whole story of Alkina more than any other. The Old Quarter is not a single varietal style, but a single block wine... It's a wine that defies separating it into its components as you taste it, and rather speaks of an accomplished completeness."

Huon Hooke / The Real Review (program context):
"Alkina is potentially the most exciting new project to hit the Barossa Valley in recent times."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Perfumed and pretty, with dark aromas of blackberry compote, boysenberries, and mulberry bush leading — the Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro blend's combined dark-fruit register at its most generous. Fresh figs add warm, slightly dried fruit complexity. Graphite and spices add mineral and savory depth, the terroir-driven signature that runs through every Alkina release regardless of blend.

Palate
Plush, with a rounded mouthfeel and fine-tuned tannins carrying a minerally and metallic edge specifically attributable to concrete aging — the house technique that distinguishes Alkina's texture from oak-driven GSM blends elsewhere in the Barossa. Meaty, spicy aromas in cooler vintages add savory complexity. Vibrant and focused, wonderfully balanced across the three varieties.

Finish
Long and well-integrated, the concrete-derived minerality lingering alongside dark fruit and spice — a finish built to drink now or hold for further development.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Roasted lamb shoulder — the classic GSM pairing
• Grilled sausages and charcuterie
• Braised game meats
• Mediterranean-spiced dishes