Sena Sena 2019

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.

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. Give it time. Drink after 2025.

Based on 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Malbec, 15% Carmenère, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Sena was vinified in a mix of stainless-steel tanks and concrete and aged 22 months in new barrels. Offering up impressive cassis and darker berry fruits as well as notes of violets, truffle, damp earth, tobacco, and candied orange peel, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a great, seamless texture, no hard edges, and just about flawless tannins. The overall freshness and purity as well as its seamless texture all make for a compelling, world class wine. Already offering complexity, richness, and elegance, enjoy bottles over the coming 10-15 years.

2018 was a return to a more balanced growing season after the drought of 2017, and the cooler conditions of 2016, with long slow ripening that has ensured an intense deep colour, and both concentration and juice in the body of this wine. The aromatics jump straight out of the glass, cedar, black fruit, cloves and cinnamon spice. This is intense, with polish and balance, and will gain further depth over ageing. Layers of complexity on display, extremely impressive vintage of Seña that pulses with life. 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 85% new oak.

Seña has always been the most international of Eduardo Chadwick’s trio of premium reds, partly reflecting its genesis as a joint venture with the Mondavis. But it, too, has shifted in style over recent vintages. Yields were very low in 2017, but this is not an overly concentrated, effortful wine. Picked almost three weeks earlier than usual, it’s a very polished cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon with 48% Malbec, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Showing layers of berry fruit, cedarwood, vanilla spice and tannic grip, it’s concentrated yet balanced with impressive freshness and vibrancy and top notes of violets and wild herbs. One of the best Señas yet. 2022-30 

A chiseled red, with concentrated minerality and white pepper accents to the crisp and pure-tasting plum, cherry and raspberry flavors. Rich sea salt and savory herbal notes emerge midpalate, leading to a finish that lingers with cedar and cigar box nuances. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2027.