Almaviva, Almaviva 2019

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

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. 200,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2021.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The product of an overall warm, dry vintage that ended slightly cooler, the 2019 Almaviva opens with focused, red-fruited aromas supplemented by coffee, mint and red pepper, developing additional floral notes with aeration. It is suave and energetic on the palate, displaying an admirable balance between slightly elevated ripeness, fresh acidity and detailed, delineated tannins. It finishes with the velvety richness and elegantly drying structure typical of Almaviva. Within this vertical, it struck me as similar to the 2022—although a touch more lifted and less assertive—and further reinforced the stylistic improvements made at Almaviva in the last decade.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Joaquin Hidalgo

The 2019 Bordeaux Blend Almaviva is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carménère, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot from Puente Alto that spent 18 months in three-fourths new barrels. Purple in color. The remarkably detailed nose begins and ends with notes of blackberry, black currant and blueberry, while in between, balsamic aromas ranging from camphor to ash appear along with a whiff of violets. All of the above comes packaged in a cigar box. Sugary initially, the flow is creamy and expansive, with polished tannins, while it grows more compact later on, stretching out the flavors. A red that showcases the best of Maipo.