Almaviva 2021

James Suckling: A fresh and discreet Almaviva, with subtle aromas of pencil shavings and cigar box, accompanied by cassis and hints of chocolate with pepper and mint. “Nuances” and subtleties on the nose. Medium-bodied, it is also subtle on the palate, with silky tannins and a perfectly integrated finish. Very long. Composition: 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Carmenere, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. It is already possible to enjoy it now, but it will take time to reach its full complexity.

The Wine Advocate: 2021 was generally cooler than 2020, resulting in more elegant wines with greater refinement and less angular tannins. The refined Almaviva 2021 is a good example of this, still very young and marked by its aging in oak, after spending 20 months in French oak barrels, 71% new and the rest second-use. The final blend was composed of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Carmenere (from Peumo), 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot – a variety that may gain greater proportion in the future, as they have planted more of it to possibly replace Merlot in the medium or long term. It is not a shy wine, reaching 15% alcohol, with soft acidity (4.65 grams of tartaric acid) and a pH of 3.81. The fruit is dark, ripe and spicy, with no hints of green; It is a bit withdrawn, less expressive than the warmer years at the beginning, but with potential to evolve in the bottle. The tannins are still present, and it should benefit from more time in the bottle. The 2019 had more volume than the 2018, and the 2020 is closer to the 2019 than the 2018. 200,000 bottles were produced, and bottled between late January and early February 2023. I tasted this alongside the 2020 and the 2018; it is closer to the latter, but the 2021 is more elegant, while the 2018 is a bit more austere and herbal.