Seña Red Blend Aconcagua Valley 2022

The epic 98 point bottling of the Southern Hemisphere’s very, very best is here and making waves! Robert Mondavi is certainly smiling down on this wine. When he joined forces with Viña Errázuriz, a little-known Chilean winery run by Eduardo Chadwick, back in 1995 – it didn’t make nearly the headlines as his previous partnership with Baron Philippe de Rothschild when they created Opus One in the early ‘80s... but all that is starting to change.

With three vintages in the last six receiving 100 Point scores, Seña is without question one of the world’s top wines of the last decade. Add in First Bottle’s top-in-the-nation pricing, and this is something you seriously can’t miss! Set in the heart of Chile’s Aconcagua Valley, at a place called Ocoa, lies a 42-acre parcel planted to Bordeaux varieties – including Carménère, the lesser known “6th grape” of Bordeaux that has since come to shine in Chile.

Robert Mondavi’s son, Tim, worked tirelessly with Eduardo to find this perfect spot – taking three years to dig soil pits all over the valley before settling here. Sustainability was always going to be a focus – so a site that was somewhat remote from the potentially damaging choices of other vintners was decided to be ideal. It is a spot of unsurpassing beauty – on the mid-slope of a volcanic ridge – with a mix of gravelly, rocky volcanic, and alluvial soils, and an interspersing of clay and loam... in other words, an ideal location that melds the soils of Bordeaux with the hillsides of Napa Valley.

The blend here is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 9% Carménère and 6% Petit Verdot – aged for 20 months in 85% French oak barrels, 66% of which were new, and 15% in foudres. This is ever so energetic, with a spritely core of raspberry, blackberry, and plum preserves, accented by hints of fresh earth, and cedar, some licorice, coffee, maraschino cherry, and a sprinkle of pencil shavings. A brilliant smoky effect comes in on the finish, wrapped up in plush tannins, giving this a balanced and big mouthfeel that just leaves us swooning. It’s structured and refined, yet intense and focused – not sure about you, but I’m drooling over here and wishing I had another glass full! If you need a wine that will easily drink amongst the ranks of First Growth Bordeaux, and Cult-y Napa Cabs... consider this your next investment. You won’t regret it!

PAIRING IDEAS: The traditional Chilean street food steak sandwich of churrasco would make a stellar choice here – thinly sliced sirloin over a crusty and soft bread roll, served with mayo, tomato, and avocado. So simple, so good!