
2021 Kin Wild Earth Field White
Semillon, Riesling and Ugni Blanc were co-fermented on their skins in a single Georgian qvevri to yield a fascinating, saline, textural wine with great freshness, complexity and structure.
Estate grown and made
Certified organic and biodynamic fruit
95% Semillon, 5% Riesling and Ugni Blanc
30 cases produced
12.2% alcohol
"Looking for something so far from the mainstream? Look no further. Old vines, a blend of Semillon, Riesling and Ugni Blanc, nine months on skins in Georgian qvevri. We have nuts, grapefruits, stonefruits, quinces, a hint of orange rind, all with a pleasing chalky backing. This has a real complexity to it. The highlight, though, is surely the seductive texture. Love it although I have absolutely no clue as to how this will age, but it might be fun to find out".
93pts, Ken Gargett, winepilot.com
"The concept of a field blend has been stretched and folded over time, coming to mean a mélange of white grapes, often from the same vineyard, but not always. The 2021 Wild Earth Field Blend from Alkina is a true old-vine field blend. Not all the varieties are fully defined, but they are from the same patch in the vineyard. It is a majority of Semillon and an unconfirmed variety, though it is thought to be Ugni Blanc. There's green pea on the nose. On the palate, it is all about texture, with cheesecloth, spice and banana leaf. The wine is tense and gently bitter (like amaro)—knife-edge stuff. It's edgy and texturally soft and spicy as well, like a blade. On the other side of the same coin, it is plump, soft, delicate and textural. While a polarizing wine, it is also super engaging and exciting. The grapes are destemmed, macerated and foot stomped before going into the qvevri. Once the grapes have fully fermented (wild, of course) with the lid off, "we build the lid in and let it do whatever it does next," says winemaker Amelia Nolan. "By the time the qvevri is emptied, the skins are paper thin. It goes through a sieve, then into a stainless steel tank to settle, then we sulfur it and bottle it. For us, the focus on natural is the farming. It's all got to come from there."
92 Points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate