ALMAVIVA 2019

Almaviva 2019

“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.” – 95/100, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

VARIETIES: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carmenère (from Peumo), 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot
REGION: Chile / Central Valley / Maipo Valley / Puente Alto
AGEING: 18 Months, New French Oak
GUARDING POTENTIAL: Try from 2024 or will cellar well up to 20 years
SERVE: Serve at 16 – 18ºC
FITS TO: Perfectly matched with Empanadas de Pino, Tournedos Rossini, Chile Ancho Grilled Lamb Chops, Pork Estofado
CRITICS SCORES: JS/97, RP/95
VIVINO: Average 4.3 ★★★★✰

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Almaviva 2019 | Vintage | Viña Almaviva (Baron Philippe de Rothschild & Concha y Toro)

Vintage 2019 in Chile was magnificent, a worthy successor of the superb 2018, in line with the greatest Chilean vintages of the last twenty years.

The vintage was notably dry with only 150mm of rainfall measured in Puente Alto between May and September 2018, compared to historical figures of 262mm. During the same winter growing season, temperatures dropped lower than usual, pushing budbreak to occur a couple of weeks later than expected.

Temperatures increased in November at higher levels than usual before returning to normal in December. Spring was also very dry with 11mm of rainfall, followed by an extremely warm summer. The acute conditions of heat and drought obliged us to start irrigation early, monitoring it closely, managing the hydric stress with precision.

Veraison started a bit later than average but was fast and homogeneous. The initial late budding was misleading as it hinted at a late harvest. However, the first vines harvested arrived at maturity a week earlier than usual. Picking started on March 21st for the Merlot and March 27th for the youngest Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cooler temperatures in April slowed down the ripening of the old Cabernet Sauvignon vines and other varieties, which ultimately resulted in a long harvest period of 10 weeks, until the last of the Carménère was brought in on May 27th.

The drier than average vintage 2019 gave us smaller berries, superb for all our Bordeaux varieties, packed with rich color and intense flavor, wonderfully balanced, generous in fruit and tremendous in quality.

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.