Sena Sena 2020

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.

The twenty-fifth vintage of a wine first made in 1995 by the Mondavi and Chadwick families is one of Francisco Baettig’s best editions yet: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and Petit Verdot aged for 22 months in French oak (10% in foudres). The nose offers redcurrant, blackberry, and cherry over a bed of sweet spices, cedar and peppers. Dense core and firm grip, it needs to be decanted or left in the bottle for a while longer.

The 2019 Seña 25 Años is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carménère and 4% Petit Verdot from Aconcagua Costa. The wine was aged for 22 months, 10% in foudres and the rest in French barrels. A vivid purple in hue, the complex, subtle nose opens up gradually, delivering layer after layer of blackcurrants. Touches of sweet and sour cherry, a twist of raspberry, sweet spices and notes from the aging process, such as nutmeg and cedar, fill the palate. Relaxed in the mouth, the 2019 Seña begins with a juicy, well-integrated freshness that feels light as silk, accompanied by extremely finely grained yet young tannins that sculpt the flow, promising excellent aging potential. The finish lingers long, repeating aromas of blackcurrant and sour cherry.

Boasts vibrant red cherry and berry flavors, which are well-knit and bear a minerally richness. The juicy finish features accents of dried green herbs and is supported by engaging tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Carmenère and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2024. 8,000 cases made, 590 cases imported.

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.

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