Viña Almaviva - Almaviva Puente Alto 2017 (750ml)

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Producer	Viña Almaviva
Country	Chile
Region	Maipo Valley
Subregion	Puente Alto
Varietal	Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Vintage	2017
Sku	03848
Size	750ml

 

This is an emotional wine that touches your soul the minute you put your nose in the glass and then taste it. Its energy draws you in. Agile and ethereal. It redefines wine and the wines of Chile. Full and fresh with intense tannins, yet they remain bright and not heavy. A perfect wine by all accounts. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 23% carmenere, 5% cabernet franc, 5% petit verdot and 2% merlot. Drinkable now, but this will give you incredible pleasure in another five years. It was our Wine of the Decade in 2020. Try after 2027.

A Bordeaux blend, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (65%) and Carmenère (25%). Power and concentration, elegance and balance. Exuberant aromas of cassis, damson plums and peppers. The palate is complex with cigar box, dark fruit and herbal notes framed by dense and polished tannins, finely integrated oak and finishing on a remarkable lifted length. A wine that will benefit from decanting or laying down. Drinking Window 2024 - 2034.

A Cabernet Sauvignon mixed with 23% Carménère, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot from Puente Alto, Maipo that spent 19 months in French barrels. Reflecting a warm, dry year, the nose presents notes of black currant and raspberry jam, black tea leaves and sweet spices with a touch of kirsch. Gentle on the palate with firm, pleasant tannins, a loose structure, bold flavor and intriguing expression. A hint of menthol makes itself felt at the back of the mouth.

I retasted the 2016 and 2017 next to the current 2018 to get some comparisons. Tasting the three years side by side, the 2017 Almaviva is clearly the one with more herbal notes and lots of concentration. It was a warm year with low yields and high concentration, but funnily enough, there are more herbaceous notes in the wine. This is a year of power and concentration, but the tannins are nicely coated by juicy fruit.

A ruby color with rusty edges and aromas of plum, cherry, cassis, olive, chocolate and spice make for an exciting opening. A structured palate is solid in feel but not hard, while this Cabernet- led blend tastes of ripe plum and currant along with oak-based spice. A full finish is generous but mellow, meaning this is drinkable now but should improve over the next several years; drink through 2026. Michael Schachner

Taut and savory, with loads of freshly crushed green herbal accents to the mineral-infused red currant and plum flavors. Cedary midpalate, featuring a burnished finish filled with spicy notes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Drink now through 2026.