VIÑA ALMAVIVA, ‘ALMAVIVA’, PUENTE ALTO, MAIPO VALLEY, CHILE, 2019

Overview of the Wine
Almaviva is the name of both winery and wine born of the joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Viña Concha y Toro. It is also that of Pierre de Beaumarchais’ character, the “Count of Almaviva” in his Marriage of Figaro, a work Wolfang Amadeus Mozart later turned into one of the most popular operas ever. The classical epithet, laid out in Pierre de Beaumarchais’ fair hand, shares the label with insignia of pre-hispanic roots symbolizing a union of European and American cultures that at every level has created successive bonds over centuries that have evolved a unique identity. The recent synthesis of French tradition and American soil has delivered an exceptional wine embodying the best of both worlds, a Primer Orden that really shines.

Grape / Blend
68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carmenère (from Peumo), 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot

Origin
Maipo Valley, Chile

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes
Deep attractive dark ruby color. The nose is pure, precise and focused, revealing delicate and fine aromas of raspberry, cassis, blackberry and wild strawberry, associated to subtle notes of liquorice, coffee, ink and earth. The wine is juicy and voluminous, filling the mouth with polished and smooth tannins, leaving an overall impression of harmony, length and persistence. Its great structure and density are well balanced by good acidity, characteristic of the great terroir of Puente Alto that aligns ripeness and freshness in this superb and exceptional vintage.

Made from a blend of classic Bordeaux varieties, in which Cabernet Sauvignon predominates, Almaviva is the result of a felicitous encounter between two cultures.

Chile offers its soil, its climate and its vineyards, while France contributes its winemaking savoir-faire and traditions.

The result is an exceptionally elegant and complex wine. Its launch was a major milestone in the development of Chilean wines, both in Chile itself and in the international market.

97 Points – James Suckling
The aromas of iodine and blackcurrants with roses and lavender make the wine extremely perfumed. It’s full-bodied with a tight, fine-tannined palate that shows linear flow through the center palate. It’s vertical and integrated, adding depth and serious quality to the wine.

95 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 
The 2019 Almaviva is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carmenère (from Peumo), 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot, higher in Carmenere and reflecting a warmer and drier vintage when then bottled wine reached 15% alcohol. It fermented with destemmed grapes in stainless steel and matured in French oak barrels, 75% of them new, for 18 months. Here, the Carmenere adds herbal freshness and changes the aromatic profile when compared with the 2019 Epu. 2019 was a good year for Carmenere, which suffers in extremely warm years like 2017, but in moderately warm years like 2019, the variety displays that herbal character and has good density. It’s full-bodied and round, with saturated tannins, tasty, spicy and long, with a dry, serious finish. It’s balsamic, with notes of camphor and a silky and velvety texture. Rating: 95+

Product size: 750mL