The 25th anniversary bottling of Seña, created as a joint venture between Chilean Eduardo Chadwick and American Robert Mondavi in 1995 and now fully owned by the Chadwick family. This is rich, heady and intense on the nose with a palate that's layered and so moreish. There's a succulent to the fruit that hits you straight away, dropping the flavour squarely on the tongue, bold and powerful but wrapped up in velvet tannins that are so sleek. Well made, round with raspberry and blueberry fruit, coffee beans and a hint of salinity taking the complexity up a notch. Great stuff. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot.
Drinking Window 2024 - 2040
PARKER (98)
The 2019 Seña was produced with a Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot with the Chilean character of the high percentage of Carmenere. Most of the volume fermented in stainless steel with some 10% in concrete vats, and the final blend matured for 22 months in French oak barrels, 80% of them new, and 10% in Stockinger vats. It's 13.5% alcohol and has good acidity and freshness, coming through as medium-bodied, elegant and balanced. This is incredibly elegant, subtle and harmonious even at this early stage. It has floral aromas, notes of orange peel, a touch of creamy sweet spices and great freshness. The palate is medium-bodied, seamless and pure, with pungent flavors and a soft texture. It's long, clean, defined and super tasty. I feel this wine is getting better and better by the vintage. The grapes were picked quite early, and that helped to contain the ripeness and seems to have been a great decision. There was also an exception in the Panquehue zone where the Seña vines are, where the summer was cooler than the average, so quite different to many other regions in Chile. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021.
WINESPECTATOR / JAMES SUCKLING (98)
Such beautiful aromas of crushed berries, currants, walnuts, allspice and nutmeg follow through to a full body with tight, ultra fine tannins that provide length and intensity. A finish of slightly dried cherries with wet earth, slate and stone. Chewy and fine-grained. A wine with soul and length. From biodynamically grown grapes.
THE WINE MAKER HIMSELF:
The 2019 vintage celebrates Seña’s 25th anniversary with a unique special edition label, commemorating its inspiring journey since its visionary founders embarked on this ambitious project. Seña 2019 showcases the full potential of a wine with balance, depth and elegance, and yet again champions Chile’s signature grape, Carmenere. With its superb score, Seña 2019 matches the estate’s highest rated vintage, Seña 2018, clinching the highest Wine Advocate score ever achieved by a Chilean wine for the second year in a row. This is a great vintage of Seña with fresh and vibrant acidity that promises tremendous ageing potential.
Tasting Note: A deep, bright ruby red colour with purple hues, Seña 2019 shows complexity on the nose with red and black fruits aromas and a distinctive freshness. Several layers of aromatics deliver suggestions of pepper, dill and rosemary alongside co¬ffee beans, pastries and vanilla. On the palate, Seña shows notes of blueberry pie and cassis cream whilst brimming with freshly picked red and black fruits. Seña 2019 is a very elegant wine of great structure, complexity and depth, with notable freshness and polished tannins.