Wine Advisor
Sena 2013
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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.
"The elegance and purity of Seña 2013 vintage truly stand out; a perfect blend of structure, persistence and roundness alongside freshness and intensity." Francisco Baettig, Winemaker February 2015
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
The 2013 Seña might very well be their finest vintage to date. 2013 was a cool vintage that favored fresh flavors and elegant and pure wines full of nuances. At Viña Seña, they took advantage of the natural conditions and produced a stunning blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Carménère, 12% Malbec, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, sourced from their 42 hectares of vineyards planted some 16 years ago in the Aconcagua Valley. The varietal mix has been fine tuned and the oak has also been gradually reduced during the last few years. The process was pretty straightforward, fermentation in stainless steel and aging in French oak barrels (75% of them new) for 22 months. It has a subtle nose with aromas of red and black fruit denoting very good freshness, and the classical tobacco and cracked peppercorns, with the oak nicely integrated adding some spices and faint smoky aromas. The red fruit is remarkable and really adds freshness. Linear, juicy, sharp and long, very tasty and with very fine, slightly grainy tannins. There is superb balance, classical proportion and symmetry. I have not tasted all of the vintages of Seña (one day...), but out of all the years I've tried, this is certainly the best. I'm sure this will bloom in bottle and will have a long development. 60,000 bottles were filled.
Reviewed by: Joaquin Hidalgo
The 2013 Seña is the product of an ideal year in terms of temperature and yields. A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Carménère, 12% Malbec, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot aged for 22 months in three-quarters new French barrels. Garnet red in hue. A subtle nose of blackcurrant, herbs and clear hints of plum are all enhanced and clarified by a layer of mint. A well-defined wine in the mouth with fruity flavors and refined tannins that channel the flow with a little grip, the freshness keeps things lively at the end.
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".
