A Cabernet Sauvignon with 25% Carménère, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot from Puente Alto, Maipo. Maroon-red in the glass, this wine was harvested between April and May. Lovely liqueur aromas of cassis and maraschino cherry mix with menthol, dried leaf and sour cherry jelly. Active tannins, medium freshness and dry fruits in the mouth. The jammy aftertaste is part of a potent but balanced profile.
This shows wonderful length with subtle dark fruits as well as mint, floral and walnut undertones. Full body, with fine tannins that give this wine energy and focus. It's long and flavorful. A blend of 67% cabernet sauvignon, 25% carmenere, 5% cabernet franc, 2% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Give this until 2017 to soften.
Aromas of currants, blackberries, violets, oyster shell and a hint of hazelnut. Medium to full body with an intense tannin backbone and column that runs through the length of the wine. Chewy. A beautiful wine to drink now, as the tannins suggest. This was a very late harvest, in May. 67% cabernet sauvignon, 25% carmenere, 5% cabernet franc, 2% merlot and 1% petit verdot.
93 POINTS
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The 2011 Almaviva, from a cool, dry vintage, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot which feels young, fresh, serious and quite classical-styled with notes of cassis, graphite and ripe black fruit, but also some raspberries and aromas of sweet spices, licorice and fennel. It has a special brightness and light, starting to slowly develop some complexity. The palate is concentrated, medium to full-bodied with ripe, round tannins, no edges, good concentration and weight. It’s still a baby, a little marked by the oak, but with enough density and freshness to come into greater balance. It should grow up slowly and live a long life. Today I see this 2011 slightly above the 2010, slightly more complex. Drink 2016-2029.
Almaviva is the joint venture of Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Concha y Toro in Puente Alto, the small appellation for luxury Cabernet Sauvignon in the Maipo Valley. Michel Friou arrived in Chile through Paul Pontallier from Chateau Margaux to do a couple of harvests at their Aquitania winery, and was later at Lapostolle until 2004. Since 2007 he has been the winemaker at Almaviva. I met him to taste the latest vintages and discuss the wines. They produce two labels from their 85 hectares of vineyards, but their second wine is only sold in Chile and Brazil. The vineyards were planted in 1978 in the third terrace of the Maipo River by Concha y Toro. The original 40 hectares were used for the first vintage, 1996, and since 2001 they have bought more land and planted vines to complete the 60 hectares they own in total. They replant a small percentage of vines every year to keep a constant average age in the vineyards and at the same time increase density. The initial vintages (I tasted 1996 and 1999) were quite marked by animal aromas which seem to have disappeared lately. I feel a special brightness in the fruit from 2005 on (perhaps as they started harvesting by smaller plots from the vineyards) and the last few vintages show more precision, freshness and balance and are quite classically proportioned with better-integrated oak. The last five harvests have been drier that the average, so for Michel the issue of how and when to water the vineyards is now vital. He’s also moving toward organic farming of the vineyards, believing that they have to move from producing great wines to creating great vineyards. (Ideally, it should have been the other way ‘round.)
93 POINTS
Michael Schachner - Wine Enthusiast
Berry aromas with a mineral twang lead to notes of earth, olive and freshly fallen leaves. As per usual for Almaviva, the palate is round and smooth as silk. Blackberry, cassis, toasty oak and cocoa powder flavors finish creamy and oaky, but this still holds the line and is perfectly balanced for the long haul. Best from 2016 through 2022.
93 POINTS
Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The 2011 Almaviva, from a cool, dry vintage, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot which feels young, fresh, serious and quite classical-styled with notes of cassis, graphite and ripe black fruit, but also some raspberries and aromas of sweet spices, licorice and fennel. It has a special brightness and light, starting to slowly develop some complexity. The palate is concentrated, medium to full-bodied with ripe, round tannins, no edges, good concentration and weight. It’s still a baby, a little marked by the oak, but with enough density and freshness to come into greater balance. It should grow up slowly and live a long life. Today I see this 2011 slightly above the 2010, slightly more complex. Drink 2016-2029. Almaviva is the joint venture of Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Concha y Toro in Puente Alto, the small appellation for luxury Cabernet Sauvignon in the Maipo Valley. Michel Friou arrived in Chile through Paul Pontallier from Chateau Margaux to do a couple of harvests at their Aquitania winery, and was later at Lapostolle until 2004. Since 2007 he has been the winemaker at Almaviva. I met him to taste the latest vintages and discuss the wines. They produce two labels from their 85 hectares of vineyards, but their second wine is o(more...)
Big, rich and ripe, with well-structured flavors of dried berry, savory herb, smoke and spice. Firm tannins balance the lively minerality midpalate. Cocoa powder notes show on the muscular finish.
90 POINTS
Gary Walsh - The Wine Front
Stinky, kind of fresh carpet smell, odd flavours, cosmetic, spicy and herbal. Intense tannin. Capsicum. Red fruits. Curious.
