Viña Seña 2020 Red Wine

Guided by intuition and supported by family heritage, Eduardo Chadwick and Robert Mondavi handcrafted a wine of quality and distinctive character. The Seña estate is the culmination of their wonderful partnership and passionate journey. Seña is also an authentic Chilean blend of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The Carmenere variety adds a distinct Chilean character to the wine. Chadwick and Mondavi searched for four long years before finding the ideal Chilean terroir in the Aconcagua Valley. There, they acquired 350 hectares of virgin hillside land.

The Wine Defender
PR 97
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The Señha 2020 is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 15% Carmenere, and 7% Petit Verdot (slightly higher for acidity), with grapes harvested early, in the second week of March, and fermented primarily in stainless steel tanks and 10% in concrete tanks. It has a moderate alcohol content of 13.5% and good freshness.

It's a subtle, multi-layered wine, not only of fruit but also of spice; it boasts polished tannins and very well-integrated oak after 22 months in barrels, 78% of which are new, with 10% of the volume in large Stockinger barrels. The warmer years seem to be well controlled, so this isn't reflected in maturation, but rather in the texture and quality of the tannins; in warmer years, like 2017 or this 2019, the wines have a bit more firmness, but are definitely more elegant than the 2017 vintage.

This wine displays intensity and complexity, without minty or herbaceous notes; it is spicy and juicy, with energy and depth. It has the structure, color, body, and acidity to evolve well in the bottle. 100,000 bottles were produced. Bottling took place in February 2022.

I tasted Seña's most recent releases, now including a second wine, for its release through Bordeaux négociants in September 2022. I'm including these notes here again to contextualize them alongside the rest of Chile's wines and to complete this article.

Published: April 6, 2023

James Suckling:

Extremely vibrant florals and citrus fruits, with graphite, blackcurrants, and blueberries. The aroma is like walking into a flower shop. Medium to full-bodied, with extremely polished tannins that caress the palate. A firm finish, indicating there's still much to come in the future. A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 15% Carmenère, and 7% Petit Verdot. Try after 2028, but it's already open and seductive.