ALMAVIVA Baron Philippe de Rothschild & Concha y Toro - Puente Alto, Maipo Valley 2021 Bottle

Description

The 2021 Almaviva is a finely crafted Bordeaux-style blend, earning high praise from critics. James Suckling awarded it 98 points, noting its subtle nose of pencil shavings, cigar box, cassis, chili chocolate, and peppermint. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with silky tannins and a seamless, very long finish. Decanter gave 97 points, describing it as precise, opulent yet elegant, with blackcurrant, cherry, liquorice, violets, and spice, matured in French barrels. The Wine Advocate scored it 96+, highlighting its cooler, more elegant profile with ripe, spicy fruit, and promising potential with further bottle aging. Vinous also awarded 96 points, praising its garnet hue, blackberry, cassis, pepper, camphor, and cigar box aromatics, with a layered, tannic, and balanced palate. Perfect now but with excellent aging prospects.

*****

JAMES SUCKLING 98 points
6 Feb, 2023 – A fresh and discreet Almaviva with subtle pencil shavings and cigar box to the cassis and hints of chili chocolate and peppermint. Nuanced and subtle on the nose. This is medium-bodied and subtle on the palate with silky tannins in the seamless finish. Very long. 71% cabernet sauvignon, 22% carmenere, 5% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Drinkable now, but it will take its time to deliver complexity.

DECANTER 97 points
Tasted by: Alejandro Iglesias Part of Decanter Cellar: 20 of the best Cabernet Sauvignons
Drinking Window: 2024 - 2040
Crafted by Michel Friou from a legendary vineyard in Puente Alto, this is a precise red blend that balances opulence with elegance. The nose delivers blackcurrant, cherry, redcurrant and liquorice aromas with hints of violets, eucalyptus, spice, and pencil shavings. Fleshy, with a juicy, energetic core and polished tannins that promise ageing potential. A classy, harmonious wine. A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Carmenère, with dashes of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it was aged for 20 months in new French barrels.

THE WINE ADVOCATE 96+ points
Drink Date: 2025 - 2035
2021 was an overall cooler year than 2020, with more elegant wines with more finesse and less angular tannins. The sleek 2021 Almaviva is a good example of that, still very young and still marked by the élevage in oak after spending 20 months in French oak barrels, 71% of them new and the rest only second use. The final blend was 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Carmenere (from Peumo), 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, a variety that might gain in percentage, as they have even planted some more with the idea to possibly replace Merlot in the medium or long term. It's not a shy wine, hitting the scale at 15% alcohol and with mellow acidity, 4.65 grams (tartaric) and a pH of 3.81 The fruit is dark, ripe and spicy, nothing green about it; it's a little shy, less expressive than the warmer years are early on and a little more discreet but with potential to develop in bottle. The tannins are still present, and it should benefit from some more time in bottle. 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 between late January and early February 2023. I tasted it next to the 2020 and 2018, and it's closer to the latter; but this 2021 is more elegant, and 2018 is a little more austere and herbal. - Luis Gutiérrez

VINOUS 96 points
The 2021 Almaviva is a blend primarily based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere, but not limited to these, and was aged for up to 18 months in French barrels. Its color is garnet with a purple sheen. The enticing nose showcases blackberry, cassis marmalade, black and green pepper, ashes, camphor and cigar box aromas. Indulgent and rich on the palate, it carries taut, fine-grained tannins, velvet texture and balanced acidity, leading to a long, ripe finish. This bold and layered red wine reveals nuanced depth and richness on the palate, promising further development as it matures in the bottle. - Joaquín Hidalgo