Seña, Vina Seña 2021

“Overwhelming nose with a cornucopia of black, red and blue berries, perfectly accented by fine toasty oak. With aeration the floral notes expand. Super-concentrated and vibrant with incredible finesse on the medium- to fullbodied palate. Such great brilliance at the finish, where the power builds very steadily. Still so young, but already dangerously delicious. It will be really hard to wait. A cuvee of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Malbec, 17% Carmenere And 6% Petit Verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.” 20th Anniversary Berlin Tasting Event, February 2024.

You can’t escape the conclusions of the vintage,” says Francisco Baettig and he’s right about this latest release of Seña, which ranks alongside the best recent iterations of this Chilean icon, every bit as good as the 2018 in my view. Deftly curated in 70% new oak, it’s a masterclass in blending from a great winemaker, partnering Cabernet Sauvignon with 27% Malbec (increased because of the cooler vintage), 17% Carmenère and 6% Petit Verdot. Fresh, perfume and self-assured, it’s still a very primary wine with a long life ahead of it, combining subtle coffee bean notes with plenty of fresh acidity, bramble, blueberry and blackcurrant leaf flavours and a hint of fine, stony reduction.

One of the finest vintages of the iconic Seña wine, the 2021 Seña comes from a cooler year, following the path of 2016 and 2018, certainly cooler than 2020 and 2019. It has a super expressive nose that is elegant, nuanced, perfumed, subtle and pure, with aromatic finesse, layered and complex. It was picked a couple of weeks later than in the previous two years and still keeping the alcohol below 14%. It was produced with a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Malbec (cooler years with more), 17% Carmenere and 6% Petit Verdot, fermented mostly in stainless steel and 10% in oak foudre. It's fine-grained and structured but juicy, similar to 2018 but with more finesse. It has the spicy/herbal twist from the Cabernet, ultra-refined tannins that give it great elegance and with length, purity and delineation. Superb! 120,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2023.

An extremely pure and elegant vintage for Seña. This is really fresh, nimble and floral on the nose with subtle cherries, plums, redcurrants and wild lavender. More red fruit here with lots of layers and just a touch of sweet spice. Very discreet and subtle, with the elegance, freshness and poise you’d expect from 2021. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate with a bit more flesh and depth if you compare it with Roca de Seña, their second wine. The impeccable tannins show the supreme quality of the fruit this year. Persistent, seamless finish, but comes in a subtle way. 50% cabernet sauvignon, 27% malbec, 17% carmenere and 6% petit verdot. Effortlessly drinkable now, but it will age beautifully.