Almaviva 2020 Proprietary Red, Puente Alto Chile
$174.99Almaviva 2020 Proprietary Red, Puente Alto Chile
98 Points - limited
One of Chile's finest wines, the Almaviva is a delicious Cabernet blend.
Almaviva is a joint venture between Concha Y Toro and the Rothschild family, begun in 1998. Like her father before her saw in the Opus One project, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild saw the potential to create a world-class claret from these own-rooted, 37 year old vines on purely alluvial soils high in the “Puente Alto” zone of the Maipo Valley.
98 Points James Suckling: "Aromas of herbs and fresh flowers with currants and blackberries follow through to a full body with chewy yet polished and refined tannins. This is so harmonious and beautiful. So real and such a great Chilean. 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carménère, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Give it another two or three years, but already gorgeous."
96 Points Robert Parker: "2020 was exceptionally dry, with 75% less rain than usual in the period between May and September, which resulted in an earlier harvest to produce a 2020 Almaviva with 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenère (from Peumo), 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, so with no Merlot this time. The process was as careful as possible, without using any bombs, doing manual and optical sorting of the grapes, pressing in small vertical presses and aging of 20 months in French oak barrels, 73% of them new and the rest second use. The wine reached good ripeness with 14.9% alcohol. It still shows the effect of the élevage a bit, with abundant notes of sweet spices, a creamy touch and some smoke. I tasted it next to the 2019, and the wines have a very similar aromatic palette with a clear note of baked peppers. What was amazing in 2020 was that they harvested the Carmenere almost five weeks earlier than they normally would, and the result is not a green wine at all. As in all dry years, the wines show a little more tannic, a little in the style of the 2017—but the 2020 has more tension than the 2017, and the 2017 was more powerful and with a bigger tannic structure. The 2019 had more volume than the 2018, and the 2020 is closer to the 2019 than the 2018."
95 Points Wine Spectator: "Beguiling on the nose, this red offers layers of cardamom, chrysanthemum, balsam and loganberry. Offers a palate that's equally engaging and elegant yet powerful, with a silky smooth frame and concentrated blackberry and cassis flavors. Packs lively acidity that brings freshness and cohesion and extends the finish, where details of peppercorn and olive emerge around fine tannins, all while echoing back to the core flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot."
READ LESSAdd a case?
-
Earn loyalty points on this order Learn More
98 Points - limited
One of Chile's finest wines, the Almaviva is a delicious Cabernet blend.
Almaviva is a joint venture between Concha Y Toro and the Rothschild family, begun in 1998. Like her father before her saw in the Opus One project, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild saw the potential to create a world-class claret from these own-rooted, 37 year old vines on purely alluvial soils high in the “Puente Alto” zone of the Maipo Valley.
98 Points James Suckling: "Aromas of herbs and fresh flowers with currants and blackberries follow through to a full body with chewy yet polished and refined tannins. This is so harmonious and beautiful. So real and such a great Chilean. 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carménère, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Give it another two or three years, but already gorgeous."
96 Points Robert Parker: "2020 was exceptionally dry, with 75% less rain than usual in the period between May and September, which resulted in an earlier harvest to produce a 2020 Almaviva with 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenère (from Peumo), 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, so with no Merlot this time. The process was as careful as possible, without using any bombs, doing manual and optical sorting of the grapes, pressing in small vertical presses and aging of 20 months in French oak barrels, 73% of them new and the rest second use. The wine reached good ripeness with 14.9% alcohol. It still shows the effect of the élevage a bit, with abundant notes of sweet spices, a creamy touch and some smoke. I tasted it next to the 2019, and the wines have a very similar aromatic palette with a clear note of baked peppers. What was amazing in 2020 was that they harvested the Carmenere almost five weeks earlier than they normally would, and the result is not a green wine at all. As in all dry years, the wines show a little more tannic, a little in the style of the 2017—but the 2020 has more tension than the 2017, and the 2017 was more powerful and with a bigger tannic structure. The 2019 had more volume than the 2018, and the 2020 is closer to the 2019 than the 2018."
95 Points Wine Spectator: "Beguiling on the nose, this red offers layers of cardamom, chrysanthemum, balsam and loganberry. Offers a palate that's equally engaging and elegant yet powerful, with a silky smooth frame and concentrated blackberry and cassis flavors. Packs lively acidity that brings freshness and cohesion and extends the finish, where details of peppercorn and olive emerge around fine tannins, all while echoing back to the core flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot."
Normal shipping via Fedex or UPS Ground will range from 3 business days (West Coast) to 7 business days (East Coast). If you would like Overnight shipping, please email or call us immediately for options. Please note, expedited shipping such as "2 day air" is for transit time only, this does not include processing time and therefore does not guarantee a specific delivery date. Our ability to respond to expedited requests depends on the particular wines’ availability. We work with many small-production wines which, if not in stock may need to be acquired direct from the winery and may not be available for shipping for several days after your order is placed.
If you have any important time constraints on your order (birthday, anniversary, dinner party, holiday, etc) please email us at info@brix26.com with your order number. Thanks for your understanding.