2018 Sena (Aconcagua Valley)

Mondavi/Chadwick
Origin
Aconcagua Valley, Chile, The Americas CHILE
Colour
red
Wine Style
dry
Dominant Grape
Cabernet Sauvignon
Farming Style
sustainable
Closure Style
cork
Maturity
drink or keep
Bottle Size
75cl
Case Quantity
6
Alcohol
14%
Wine Score
98 points, Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com, August 2020
100 points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, April 2020
97 points, Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, 2021 Chile report

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Media Reviews

Luis Gutierrez

The 2018 Seña shows the fresher side of the Ocoa zone of the Aconcagua Valley through a Bordeaux blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Malbec, 15% Carmenere, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot; there are small differences, but nothing substantial. As I`ve seen in other wines from the very complete 2018 vintage, the grapes ripened thoroughly and achieved more flavors and nuances, and the wines are slightly higher in alcohol (14% this year versus 13.3% in 2017, but in reality it`s 13.8% ). But the wine seems to have more of everything. The grapes fermented in a combination of stainless steel and concrete vats and matured in new barriques and Stockinger foudres for 22 months, a similar formula as the one used for Viñedo Chadwick. This is a very elegant vintage of Seña, a year with a slow ripening so that the grapes achieved very good ripeness and full development of aromas and flavors, making the wine nuanced and complex, with depth but also freshness and finesse—floral and expressive. The tannins are very fine, polished and elegant, and the wine is long and complex, mixing the best f 2015 and 2016, coming through as a very complete year. It`s still a little young and should develop nicely in bottle; it`s approachable now, but if you can hold it a little bit more, it should be even better. This has to be the finest vintage of Seña to date. Comparing it with the Chadwick from the same year, there is more freshness and a little more complexity and clout coming form the cooler zone and the palette of varieties used that give more options to achieve more nuance. 98 points

James Suckling

This is a very thoughtful Seña that shows unique aromas of warm earth, mushrooms and conifer, turning to dark berries and black olives. The palate is more glamorous with ultra-fine tannins that envelop your palate. Shows power and vibrancy at the end. Toned muscles. It’s a very intellectual wine that harkens back to the 2015. Blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 18% malbec, 15 carmenere, 7% cabernet franc and 5% merlot. 100 points

Tim Atkin MW

Average growing season temperatures at Seña were significantly lower in 2018 than in 2017 and that, coupled with a subtle Pacific Ocean influence, has delivered a fresher style. For all that, it remains the most exotic and “Mediterranean” of the top Errázuriz reds, with more colour than its partners and top notes of rosemary and lavender. The palate is still quite firm, with sinewy tannins, toasty, cigar-box oak and good depth and structure. Marrying Cabernet Sauvignon with 45% Malbec, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, with ageing in 85% new wood, it’s youthful, assertive and slightly inchoate, hinting enticingly at more to come in bottle as the oak integrates into the wine. 97 points

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