Wine Advisor
Sena 2009
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Description
Seña is a sign to the world that Chile was able to produce world-class wines, expressing the uniqueness of the Aconcagua Valley and changing the way the world thought about Chilean wine. Seña is a unique Bordeaux-style red blend with a very Chilean soul. Its predominant variety is Cabernet Sauvignon, while Carmenere clearly ties it to Chile. Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot round out the blend.
"Deep violet-ruby-red colour. Seña 2009 is complex and intense in the nose, with abundant fresh red fruit that recalls raspberries and cherries harmoniously mingled with notes of cinnamon and red tobacco, along with a light touch of incense and cedar. The palate confirms what the nose perceives and shows a red fruit's predominance nicely accompanied by sweet spices, a balsamic touch, and flavours that recall hazelnuts and walnuts. Vibrantly textured with fine-grained tannins lend liveliness and structure to the blend in a wine that is long and very elegant. With refreshing acidity, all signs point to a bottle of wine with tremendous longevity in the bottle." Francisco Baettig, Winemaker February 2011
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2009 Sena has an exuberant bouquet of blackberry, boysenberry, menthol, crushed stone and graphite that is extremely well defined and more feminine than the 2008. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, taut tannins and superb focus. It has a focused, leafy, tobacco infused finish and great length. Excellent. Drink 2014-2020. Sena is the peripatetic wine that goes around the world challenging and, let it be said, often defeating First Growths in blind tastings. I will not enter into a discussion about that here, although it must be said that Sena is an impressive wine. Tasting through this mini-vertical from almost the first vintage, I did find a distinct improvement from 2007 onwards. While I understand that older vintages have their share of plaudits, I discerned more complexity and vitality as well as finer integration of oak on newer vintages, as if more thought had gone into the wines. The result can be seen in the wines themselves, in particular the outstanding 2010. Importer: Thienot USA; www.thienotusa.com
Reviewed by: Joaquin Hidalgo
The 2009 Seña was made in a warm, dry year that also marked the high point of the overripe style. A blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carménère, 16% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc; it was aged for 22 months in new French barrels. Garnet in color with a brick dust sheen. The nose is somewhat subdued but subtle with notes of herb, spice, cedar and ink. In the mouth, the palate is lit up by warm balance and energy along with grippy, slightly dry tannins.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Vivid ruby. High-pitched aromas of redcurrant and cherry, with spice and floral accents and a touch of vanilla. Zesty, focuse red fruit flavors gain heft and sweetness with air. Shows very good energy and purity on the long, spicy, nicely delineated finish. I'll bet that this finely tuned wine will reward a decade in the cellar.
About the Producer
One of the oldest vineyards of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère in Chile, if not in the world, is the origine of this story. Enclaved in the Colchagua Valley, near the town of Santa Cruz, the Apalta Valley was the place selected by a visionnary near the 1915's who, using a unique french massal selection, planted this amazing vineyard. In 1994, Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and her husband Cyril de Bournet acquired this property. True to the demands of the family, their ambition was to produce an exceptional Chile wine and to pave the way for the qualitative development of the country's fine wines. CLOS APALTA is born in 1997 as the iconic wine of the Domaines Bournet-Lapostolle in Chile under the idea to magnify the exceptional terroir of Apalta with French expertise. Recognized as “Wine of the Year” when its 2005 vintage was chosen TOP #1 by the Wine Spectator magazine, CLOS APALTA is the only South American wine that has received this award. In addition, the 2000 and 2001 vintages were also positioned as TOP 3 and TOP 2 respectively in the same magazine. With the exceptional 2017 vintage, Clos Apalta is awarded for the third time 100 points by famed American journalist and wine critic James Suckling, consolidating its position in the "Legends of Chile".
