Wine Advisor
Sena 2010
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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 with nearly black tints, on the nose Seña 2010 offers fresh red and black fruit such as raspberries, cherries, blackberries, and blueberries, followed by notes of tobacco and cedar, along with a lightly spicy, floral touch. Equally complex on the palate, its flavours mingle with its firm structure and fine tannins that, in concert with its good acidity, presage a beautiful evolution in the bottle." Francisco Baettig, Winemaker February 2012
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2010 Sena is more generous on the nose than the 2009, with crisp, ripe blackberry, boysenberry and graphite notes that are tightly coiled and, at the moment, not as expressive as the 2009. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. This is silky smooth in the mouth, harmonious and the oak is deftly interwoven into the structure. This is a sophisticated Sena. Drink 2014-2022. 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 2010 Seña is the result of a cool, dry year that helped to temper the ripe style so popular at the time. A blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carménère, 12% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, it spent 22 months in 77% new barrels. Garnet red in hue. The nose presents notes of blackcurrant with a layer of cedar and clear herbal aromas along with hints of mint and pepper. In the mouth it has firm tannins that engineer a balance between elegance and intensity. A wine with a voluptuous, woody character that nonetheless manages to deliver clarity and focus.
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".
