Alkina Wine Estate has purchased the historic Trial Hill vineyard in Eden Valley from Barossa grower Joel Mattschoss.
The isolated, elevated property spans 24 hectares, with approximately eight hectares currently planted to Grenache, Shiraz, Riesling and Chardonnay.
It will join Alkina’s original 43-hectare vineyard at Greenock, expanding the estate’s holdings within the Barossa and providing an important Eden Valley counterpoint through old vines grown at altitude.
Situated near Pewsey Vale in Eden Valley, the Trial Hill vineyard was historically part of the original Pewsey Vale property established by Joseph Gilbert, who planted the area’s first vines in 1847.
Today, the vineyard’s contour-planted Grenache, Shiraz and Riesling vines are approximately 80 years old and sit between 450 and 480 metres above sea level, overlooking the Barossa Valley below.
The property rises steeply to approximately 550 metres at its highest point.
Alkina’s medium-term plans include establishing an additional terraced, bushvine Grenache vineyard on these upper slopes, which would place it among the highest Grenache vineyards in Australia.
At Trial Hill, Alkina will extend the micro-terroir work first undertaken at its Greenock estate with terroir specialist Pedro Parra in 2017.
Detailed mapping of the site’s geology will commence in 2027, with the intention of identifying and defining individual terroirs that may ultimately sit within Alkina’s renowned range of ‘Polygon’ wines.
Initial exploratory work suggests a complex geological landscape, where deeply weathered quartzite and schist have broken down over time to form sandy, free-draining soils, creating a distinctly different terroir from Alkina’s Greenock vineyard, which is characterised by schist, limestone and ferrous clay.
Alkina owner Alejandro Bulgheroni said, “We have a long-held belief that the great wines of the world come from truly great sites.
“Markets and styles may change, but places with real individuality, history and the capacity to create distinctive wines will endure.
“This belief underpins our confidence that Australian Grenache can sit comfortably amongst the great wines of the world, and we believe this historic site in Eden Valley will further enable us to explore that potential.”
Alkina winemaker and managing director Amelia Nolan said, “I have admired this beautiful vineyard for many years, with its sweeping views across the Barossa and extraordinary amphitheatre-like contours.
“Old Grenache vines at this altitude are a finite resource in Australia and deserve to be preserved and nurtured.
“Our terroir work at Greenock has shown us just how much geological complexity can exist within a relatively small area, and Trial Hill gives us the opportunity to continue that exploration in a completely different landscape.
“We are very grateful to Joel Mattschoss for considering Alkina to be a fitting future custodian of such a special place.”
Joel Mattschoss said, “Trial Hill is a vineyard I had always imagined I would hold onto for the long term, so the decision to part with it was not one I took lightly.
“Having followed Alkina’s work at Greenock, I felt there was a natural fit, and I’m very pleased to be handing over custodianship to a team that will respect what is already there while taking the vineyard’s potential to another level.”
Alkina has now assumed management of the vineyard and is preparing for the growing season.
Like Greenock, Trial Hill will be farmed according to organic and biodynamic principles with certification to be pursued in due course.