ALMAVIVA
2017
This is Chilean Cabernet in a serious mould. The nose is restrained with the primary fruit supported by an earthy, herbal, cedary backbone. There's real complexity and depth here. A wine to cogitate over. The tannins are still grippy so this will need five years in bottle to integrate but it shows great potential. It's not as plush or easy as its Chilean cousin Seña but there is arguably more drive and complexity to this - more traditional Cabernet character. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040L&S (Sept 2019)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
A Cabernet Sauvignon mixed with 23% Carménère, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot from Puente Alto, Maipo that spent 19 months in French barrels. Reflecting a warm, dry year, the nose presents notes of black currant and raspberry jam, black tea leaves and sweet spices with a touch of kirsch. Gentle on the palate with firm, pleasant tannins, a loose structure, bold flavor and intriguing expression. A hint of menthol makes itself felt at the back of the mouth. Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 94 Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous.com (Mar 2020)
2017 was an unusual year, warm and extremely dry (178 liters of rain, but there was some rain after the 2016 harvest, so the soil had some water), and the harvest and the whole cycle was two to three weeks earlier than normal. That is the context for the 2017 Almaviva, whose vines saw extremely low yields (ten hectoliters per hectare in the older parts, 36 hectoliters per hectare in the young vines) and produced concentrated juice. The bottled blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carmenère, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot, quite similar to the 2016, and the alcohol level reached 14.6% with a pH of 3.65 and 4.9 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid). It matured in French oak barriques (825 of them new) for 19 months. It's a riper, rounder and softer vintage, with moderate acidity and a tender mouthfeel, really marked by very high temperatures all year round. They used a little more Petit Verdot in the blend, but there is no overripeness. The wine shows some herbal aromas (I really notice the touch of the Carmenere this year). They harvested extremely early (three weeks earlier than normal!) and were able to keep the tension in the wine, and it has a polished mouthfeel and very round tannins. It's a nicely crafted red blend, and they were able to overcome the difficulties of the year; I see the style of something between 2016 and 2015, quite compact. It might require some more bottle age to open up, and it should develop nicely in bottle. 180,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2019. Drinking range: 2020 - 2032 Rating: 94+ Luis Gutierrez, www.robertparker.com (Aug 2019)
The aromas of blackberry leaves and iodine are wild and exotic here with mussel shells and earth underneath. Full-bodied, tight and chewy with powerful tannins that show muscle. It’s structured and powerful. Dense and very, very deep. Don’t touch this until 2025. Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 100 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Aug 2019)
Almaviva
Founded in 1997, Almaviva winery is a joint venture between Baroness Philippine de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Eduardo Guilisasti Tagle of Concha y Toro. The partnership came about with a view to make an exceptional Franco-Chilean wine that would combine the classic traditions and knowledge of Bordeaux, with the local climate, terroir and vineyards of Chile. The French Château concept, where the terroir, the bodega and the technical team work together exclusively in the production of an excellent wine, was the first of its kind in Chile.
The fusion of these two cultures is evident in the name Almaviva, which has a Hispanic sonority but is in fact the name of the Count Almaviva, the hero of the classical French play The Marriage of Figaro, by Beaumarchais. The writing on the label is done in Beaumarchais’ own hand and the logo represents a ritual drum used by the Mapuche, a nod to Chile’s ancestral history.
The vineyard consists of 85 hectares, located in Puento Alto, one of the southern suburbs of Santiago and produced under the joint technical supervision of both partners. The first vintage was a great international success upon its launch in 1998. This elegant and complex wine is made from a blend of traditional Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot - with Cabernet Sauvignon being the dominant grape. The wine is vinified in stainless steel and aged in new French oak barrels for 16-18 months.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond' (excluding duty paid and VAT).
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price sits within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
You can register your interest via the online wishlist form, by emailing privateclients@leaandsandeman.co.uk, or by calling 020 7221 1982. All wishlist requests are subject to availability and final confirmation. Inevitably, some wines will have to be allocated but please do not let that deter you from asking. We will do our best to satisfy all requests.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date.
Invoices are raised at in bond prices. Duty and VAT invoices will be raised on request when the wines land in the UK.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We reserve the right to levy a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant Storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other in bond deliveries are free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1,000. Orders below this total will be charged at £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchase from this offer, not a per-case charge. Please inform us of in bond delivery addresses and account details at the time of ordering.
- If the wines are required duty paid we will issue invoices at prevailing rate of duty and VAT when the wines arrive in the UK.
- The wines will become available by the end of the year and should be shipped very early next year.