Concha y Toro - Almaviva 2020

JAMES SUCKLING: "Aromas of herbs and fresh flowers with currants and blackberries follow through to a full body with chewy yet polished and refined tannins. This is so harmonious and beautiful. So real and such a great Chilean. 68% cabernet sauvignon, 24% carmenere, 6% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Give it another two or three years, but already gorgeous."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, opaker Kern, zarte Randaufhellung. Attraktive schwarzen Beeren, Cassis, Vanille und Zimt, etwas Nougat, etwas Trockenkräuter. Sehr kraftvoll, reife Kirschen, straffes Tanninkleid, mineralischer Touch, dezente Fruchtsüße."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "2020 was exceptionally dry, with 75% less rain than usual in the period between May and September, which resulted in an earlier harvest to produce a 2020 Almaviva with 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenère (from Peumo), 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, so with no Merlot this time. The process was as careful as possible, without using any bombs, doing manual and optical sorting of the grapes, pressing in small vertical presses and aging of 20 months in French oak barrels, 73% of them new and the rest second use. The wine reached good ripeness with 14.9% alcohol. It still shows the effect of the élevage a bit, with abundant notes of sweet spices, a creamy touch and some smoke. I tasted it next to the 2019, and the wines have a very similar aromatic palette with a clear note of baked peppers. What was amazing in 2020 was that they harvested the Carmenere almost five weeks earlier than they normally would, and the result is not a green wine at all. As in all dry years, the wines show a little more tannic, a little in the style of the 2017—but the 2020 has more tension than the 2017, and the 2017 was more powerful and with a bigger tannic structure. The 2019 had more volume than the 2018, and the 2020 is closer to the 2019 than the 2018. 200,000 bottles produced. It was bottled during the second half of February 2022."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Beguiling on the nose, this red offers layers of cardamom, chrysanthemum, balsam and loganberry. Offers a palate that's equally engaging and elegant yet powerful, with a silky smooth frame and concentrated blackberry and cassis flavors. Packs lively acidity that brings freshness and cohesion and extends the finish, where details of peppercorn and olive emerge around fine tannins, all while echoing back to the core flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2038. 15,000 cases made, 2,400 cases imported."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "With this vintage the winery celebrates its 25th anniversary. The Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend that includes Carmenere and a splash of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot is ripe and has a delicate nose. Peppercorn and subtle aromas of black fruit rise from the glass. A velvety and elegant palate offers excellent acidity, backing oak-driven spices and plums that extend into a fruity finish. Drink now through 2030."