Among "the elite producers that have put Chile on the world stage" according to the Wine Spectator's James Molesworth, the silky and seductive 98 pt. 2021 Vina Almaviva continues its decades' long reign as a benchmark of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, offering rich dark fruit hinting of spice with a velvety smooth finish and declared a "a stunning example of Almaviva" by Inside Bordeaux's Jane Anson's that's built to evolve for another decade or more.
Producing its first vintage in Chile's Central Valley in 1996, Vina Almaviva was established as a joint venture between Bordeaux's Mouton Rothschild and Concha y Toro to marry "classic Bordeaux expertise with New World vitality" according to James Suckling and sourced from grapes grown in exceptional Chilean terroir. Located at the highest point in the Maipo Valley, Almaviva's 60-hectare Puente Alto vineyard is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, a large parcel of it originally part of Concha Y Toro's iconic Don Melchor vineyard and considered optimal for growing Cab, planted along with smaller amounts of Carmenere and Bordeaux varietals including Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in layers of loamy clay, gravel and rocks and cooled by breezes coming off the towering Andes. Employing a mix of new technology and traditional techniques, the winemaking team utilizes an underground drip system programmed to deliver precise amounts of water to each vine, while the grapes are hand sorted and gravity-fed into tanks to preserve the quality of the fruit. Described by Vinous critic Joaquim Hidalgo as the "French perfectionist" who is key to Almaviva's bright and nuanced style, winemaker Michel Friou aged the powerful 2021 Vina Almaviva in 71% new French oak barrels for 20 months, the cooler vintage producing a blend characterized by "finesse, precision and elegance" according to the Wine Advocate's Luis Gutierrez and revealing a seamless core of luscious dark Cabernet Sauvignon fruit hinting of Carmenere's peppery spice, its smooth, harmonious tannins and notable depth promising longevity.
Gaining "cult status through consistency" according to James Suckling, the enticing 98 pt. 2021 Almaviva continues to raise the bar for Chilean wines, earning a place among the world's best and most age worthy Cabs and an incredible value to make room for in the cellar and savor its brilliant evolution for years to come.
A fresh and discreet Almaviva with subtle pencil shavings and cigar box to the cassis and hints of chili chocolate and peppermint. Nuanced and subtle on the nose. This is medium-bodied and subtle on the palate with silky tannins in the seamless finish. Very long. 71% cabernet sauvignon, 22% carmenere, 5% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Drinkable now, but it will take its time to deliver complexity.
98 points, Zekun Shuai, James Suckling (Apr 2023)
#94 - James Suckling Top 100 of 2023
A stunning example of Almaviva, shot through with the generosity and restrained spice of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmanère in Puente Alto. Coffee bean, liquorice and cocoa set the tone on the opening beats, showing the restrained glamour that the partnership of SA Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Concha Y Toro do so well. Plenty of fruit here, majoring on blackcurrant and damson, with just enough brambled blackberry buds and autumn hedgerow adding a welcome note of both bitterness and fragrance, cutting through the sleek ripeness of the palate, excellent reflection of the balanced weather in the 2021 vintage, with no challenging heat spikes. Winemaker Michel Friou. 75% new oak.
97 points, Jane Anson (Aug 2023)
2021 was an overall cooler year than 2020, with more elegant wines with more finesse and less angular tannins. The sleek 2021 Almaviva is a good example of that, still very young and still marked by the élevage in oak after spending 20 months in French oak barrels, 71% of them new and the rest only second use. The final blend was 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Carmenere (from Peumo), 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, a variety that might gain in percentage, as they have even planted some more with the idea to possibly replace Merlot in the medium or long term. It's not a shy wine, hitting the scale at 15% alcohol and with mellow acidity, 4.65 grams (tartaric) and a pH of 3.81 The fruit is dark, ripe and spicy, nothing green about it; it's a little shy, less expressive than the warmer years are early on and a little more discreet but with potential to develop in bottle. The tannins are still present, and it should benefit from some more time in bottle. The 2019 had more volume than the 2018, and the 2020 is closer to the 2019 than the 2018. 200,000 bottles produced. It was bottled between late January and early February 2023. I tasted it next to the 2020 and 2018, and it's closer to the latter; but this 2021 is more elegant, and 2018 is a little more austere and herbal.
96+ points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (Aug 2023)
The 2021 Almaviva is a blend primarily based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere, but not limited to these, and was aged for up to 18 months in French barrels. Its color is garnet with a purple sheen. The enticing nose showcases blackberry, cassis marmalade, black and green pepper, ashes, camphor and cigar box aromas. Indulgent and rich on the palate, it carries taut, fine-grained tannins, velvet texture and balanced acidity, leading to a long, ripe finish. This bold and layered red wine reveals nuanced depth and richness on the palate, promising further development as it matures in the bottle.
96 points, Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous (Jun 2023)
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