2020 Almaviva - Epu

The 2020 Epu is 4/5 Cabernet Sauvignon with rest made up of Carménère, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, all from Puente Alto in the Maipo Valley. Garnet-red in color. Presents intense blackcurrant and blackberry aromas with hints of mint and herbs over a bed of oak, accompanied by cedar and sweet spice notes. Indulgent and expansive in the mouth. The warm vintage's high alcohol content (15%) pumps up the voluminous, ripe expression while the tannins are refined. A long-lasting, rich combination.

The current release of their second wine is the 2020 Epu. It's selected from the same terroir and vineyard in Puente Alto, one of the most reputed places for Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile, but from the younger vines (five to 20 years old) and harvested a little earlier to preserve acidity and fruit. In the warm and dry 2020 vintage, the wine was produced with a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Carmenere, 5% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, usually higher in Cabernet and lower in Carmenere than Almaviva. It has red ripe berries, the textbook blackberries and cassis and some creamy oak. It's ripe at 14.8% alcohol and has mellow acidity, good freshness and balance, with a pH of 3.71 and 4.8 grams of acidity (tartaric). It matured for 12 months in French barriques, 10% new and 90% second use. The wine has a bright nose with a clean note of baked "morrón" peppers intermixed with red berry compote. It has a velvety palate with the luxurious texture of the modern Bordeaux, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins. It's approachable and round but should reward some time in bottle. This is a pretty serious Epu. 75,000 bottles produced. It was bottled at the end of 2021 and the first days of 2022. This is the second vintage sold through the Place de Bordeaux négociant system.

Second wine of Almaviva, and the warmth of the 2020 vintage has given the blackberry and damson fruits a sweet, textured richness that is velvety, silky, almost overwhelming but just staying in balance. Powerful and easy to drink, no need to wait too long to begin drinking although it will certainly benefit from a few hours in a carafe. Winemaker Michel Friou.