Almaviva 2023

Rich and heady nose, some bell pepper aromatics with blackcurrant and milk chocolate, black pepper and floral scents. Glossy and thick, lots of flesh and power here with juicy black fruit. Great concentration but refined and focussed. There’s no shortage of power and precision - vertical and layered with mint, aniseed, menthol aspects, minerality and black fruit. Velvety but packing a punch. Give this a good few years but the structure and finesse is there. Classy and captivating - and mouthwateringly moreish. 3% Merlot completes the blend. A joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Viña Concha y Toro. Director Manuel Louzada, winemaker Michel Friou.

The 2023 Almaviva aromatically leads with its Carménère component in this vintage, featuring typical merkén spice notes blended with gravel dust, dried herbs and anise aromas, all set against a bright, red-fruited core. The palate is lush and velvety but supported by a lively, tensile spine, leading to a refined, sturdy finish that emphasizes lush fruit flavors, polished tannins and an oak-derived backdrop. This is a decidedly fruit-driven yet still elegant expression of Almaviva, and its one that will be accessible in its youth as more structured vintages continue to mature in the cellar. This blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Carménère, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot matured for 20 months in 73% new French oak.

A refined wine showing lovely fruit with less verticality than the 2022, but here the magic is the roundness and smoothness, which is really poised. Subtle cedar, tobacco, olives and paprika on the nose. Sweet berries and fruit on the palate, with a medium to full body and a long, nuanced finish. More precise in terms of tannins this year, with immediate approachability. 74% cabernet sauvignon, 19% carmenere, 5% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. 73% new oak and the rest is second use. Drink from 2026.