Barossa Shiraz 2023: Vintage report and 40 top-scoring wines
David Sly | Decanter.com, July 2025
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“Rising high above the ordinary are a suite of meticulous wine producers, led by Alkina…”
Top-rated: #1
Alkina, Polygon No 1, Barossa Valley, South Australia, 2023
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040
“Serious old-vine Shiraz doesn’t have to be weighed down by bulk – and Alkina has a sprightly championship contender here, showing tight, lean muscle but also a suppleness that makes exciting sparks of pristine flavours dance with lively energy across the palate. Precise geological mapping of the Alkina vineyard has identified significantly different soil profiles in components they call Polygons. Here the mica schist of Polygon No1 delivers keen, alert flavours of fine white pepper sprinkled over dry, dark red fruits, with a keen savoury note to enhance the texture. There’s stern, focused power here without any unnecessary brawn to force the issue. It’s irresistible now, but likely to intrigue through many years of cellaring.” 98pts
Top-rated: #2
Alkina, Striato Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2023
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040
“A fusion of two Polygon components within Alkina’s Greenock vineyard pulls together a sublime chorus of subtle notes. Showing a shade less body weight than previous vintages allows the flavours to slide more easily, piqued by a pleasing savory lick at the finish. There are more lean, crunchy red berries in the mix, ahead of black olive flanking sharp blackberry and a sprinkling of allspice atop rich blueberry. It’s the seamless flow of the combined Polygon parcels that impresses the most, its gently ebbing tide of different flavour and texture notes washing gently, teasingly across the palate. So seductive.” 97pts
Top-rated: #11
Alkina, Birdsong Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2023
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2038
“Fine-boned and delicately framed, the spicy notes of Shiraz are thrust to the foreground here, with a feisty savoury character attached to lean, sinewy fruit. This complex union of many components comes from across the Alkina vineyard at Greenock: fruit from Blocks 5 and 6 having 60% whole bunch, fermented in concrete; young vines from Block 23 fermented with 100% whole bunches providing vibrancy and lift; Blocks 38 and 26a co-fermented in stainless steel with 30% whole bunch; Polygon 11 having 100% whole bunch, fermented in concrete. The sum of this provides mineral bite as well as dark red-fruited crunch. The slim mid-palate boasts an elegant structure and an edge of balsamic sweetness, before finishing bone dry with the softest chalky tannins leaving a lip-smacking desire to taste more.” 95pts