Deep ruby color; cherry, plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, oak spice, minerality on the nose and palate.
Dry; subtle, fine-grained tannins with lovely texture in the mouth. Good balancing acidity. Juicy, elegant, a nimble and delicious parade of red fruits. Full body. Complexity abounds. Silky, prolonged, delicious finish. Made with 100% estate vineyards biodynamically farmed. The plots are on the western side of the Aconcagua Valley, 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean, which delivers cooling winds during heat of summer. Water comes from the snow melt in the Andes to the east, an important resource for Viña Seña because 2020 was very dry year.
This year’s blend is 53% cabernet sauvignon, 25% malbec, 15% carménère, 7% petit verdot. Fermented in stainless steel, with 19% in concrete eggs. Aged 22 months in French oak barrels, 78% new, and 10% foudres (very large vats that impart less oak notes). The oak is impressively integrated in this effort. 13.5% ABV
The Viña Seña story begins in the early 1990s when Eduardo Chadwick decided he could take his family’s wine business to the next level, and Chile’s reputation, too, for that matter. A family friend and vintner, Agustín Huneeus asked Eduardo to spend time showing Robert and Margrit Mondavi around the Chilean wine country. They discovered a mutual respect and friendship.
Eduardo and Robert’s son, Tim Mondavi, began a search for the perfect terroir in Chile’s emerging Aconcaugua Valley wine country. They sought a cooler site than traditional Chilean makers. They also committed to environmental responsibility and biodynamic farming. The result was the impressive operation you can enjoy today. Viña Seña is regarded as one of Chile’s iconic wines. Eduardo remains in charge, but now is working his daughters—María Eugenia, María Magdalena, María José, and Alejandra into the family business.
Viña Seña Red Wine, Valle de Aconcaugua 2020 is delightfully elegant, refined, balanced, harmonious. Another emphatic statement that Chilean wines are in the discussions about great wines of the world. Bordeaux blend. Cabernet sauvignon, malbec, and carménère carry most of the load. The formula changes each vintage depending upon what the biodynamically farmed, 100% estate vineyards yield. Whenever you spend a Benjamin-plus on a single bottle of wine, you expect to be pleased. You will be pleased with this effort.
Pair with beef—grilled steaks, beef bourguignon, roast beef; casseroles and stews; wild game—venison, wild boar; lamb—grilled chops, slow-cooked shank; Chinese beef with black bean sauce; ham—barbecue, baby back ribs; duck, roast chicken. Cheese—hard, aged cheese; comté is classic, aged cheddar, stilton, brie. $115-150
