Virtual Wine Tasting featuring Almaviva Winery with Special Guest Manuel Louzada

Wednesday, April 14, 2021 - 06:00 PM

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“There is truth in wine, but you never see it listed in the ingredients on the label”
― Josh Stern

 

I guess wine is considered to be above the law when it comes to the FDA and other organizations that regulate what we consume.  Even though most wines are made with very little other than the grapes themselves, there is no way to know based on the label, it is one of the only products that you consume that does not have a list of ingredients- even bottled water is required to have a list of ingredients today.

The best wines today are made with either: sustainable, organic or biodynamic practices and this is not only to make better wines but to maintain better vineyard health.  Just like it is bad for us humans to take antibiotics every time we have a little sniffle or cough, the vineyards are healthier and will live longer more productive lives if they are maintained with natural principles.

 

It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time for our virtual tasting!

 

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We have good friend Manuel Louzada zooming in for this tasting from one of the iconic wineries of Chile Amaviva.  This winery is one of the joint ventures that the folks from Chateau Mouton Rothschild and one of the most sucessful of it’s kind anywhere in the world.  Join us as we welcome Manuel on Wednesday, April 14th at 6pm EST.  We will be showing three vintages of the Almaviva two of which we have in the store.

 

For those that would like to attend in person and be part of the studio audience on the day of the event the price is $75 + tax and there are only 10 seats available to our studio audience the day of the tasting.  There will be a few small bites served but this is not a dinner.  For reservations to be part of the studio audience please call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

 

 

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Virtual Wine Tasting featuring Almaviva Winery
with Special Guest Manuel Louzada
Wednesday, April 14th
6:00 PM

Virtual Tasting 3 Pack for Almaviva Winery - Wine Watch
One Magnum 2016, One 750ml 2017 and One 750ml 2018
Price: $626.00

 

 

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2016 Vina Almaviva Puente Alto Chile Magnum - Wine Watch
List Price: $385.00              Sale $338.80        Quantity in Stock: 6

(95 Points) The 2016 harvest was complicated by rain in late April, which made them hurry up and finish two weeks earlier than normal. The year was also cooler, and the 2016 Almaviva, a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenère, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot has less alcohol at 13.9% compared to 15% in 2014. The élevage was shortened to 16 months, and they decreased the percentage of new French barrels used-down to 77% from the 82% in the previous year. The wine is fresher and less marked by the oak, a more fluid version, with fine tannins. This is a little different, a lighter and fresher year. It was a very dry winter, complicated by rains. I found very good harmony and fine tannins, balance and freshness in one of the most elegant vintages I remember from Almaviva. This has contained power, very accessible tannins and no green notes at all. It's young but accessible and should develop nicely in bottle, as it has the balance and freshness. This is an elegant and fresh vintage for Almaviva, young and tender, taking advantage of the natural conditions for it. Well done! Luis Gutierrez, September 6, 2018

2017 Vina Almaviva Puente Alto Chile - Wine Watch
List Price: $163.25      Sale $143.66   Quantity in Stock: 6

 

(94 Points) 2017 was an unusual year, warm and extremely dry (178 liters of rain, but there was some rain after the 2016 harvest, so the soil had some water), and the harvest and the whole cycle was two to three weeks earlier than normal. That is the context for the 2017 Almaviva, whose vines saw extremely low yields (ten hectoliters per hectare in the older parts, 36 hectoliters per hectare in the young vines) and produced concentrated juice. The bottled blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carmenère, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot, quite similar to the 2016, and the alcohol level reached 14.6% with a pH of 3.65 and 4.9 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid). It matured in French oak barriques (825 of them new) for 19 months. It's a riper, rounder and softer vintage, with moderate acidity and a tender mouthfeel, really marked by very high temperatures all year round. They used a little more Petit Verdot in the blend, but there is no over ripeness. The wine shows some herbal aromas (I really notice the touch of the Carmenere this year). They harvested extremely early (three weeks earlier than normal!) and were able to keep the tension in the wine, and it has a polished mouthfeel and very round tannins. It's a nicely crafted red blend, and they were able to overcome the difficulties of the year; I see the style of something between 2016 and 2015, quite compact. It might require some more bottle age to open up, and it should develop nicely in bottle. 180,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2019. Wine Advocate

 

2018 Vina Almaviva Puente Alto Chile - Wine Watch
List Price: $163.25      Sale $143.66   Quantity in Stock: 6

The vintage 2018 in Chile was magnificent, one of the best of the decade, recognized for its exceptional quality, balance and complexity. ­e vintage was rainier than average with 300 mm in Puente Alto between May and October 2017, compared to the historical average of 281 mm. During the same winter period, the temperatures were lower than usual, resulting in bud break occurring a few days later than average. ­e temperatures increased significantly in November, reaching higher levels in December than in four previous years.

­The heat increased the growth and the vigor of the vines, initiating important precision work in the vineyard. ­The veraison started later than average on the 3rd week of January, but was incredibly fast and homogeneous.  Although the initial stages were hinting at a late harvest, picking started on March 26th for the Merlot and on April 2nd for the Cabernet Sauvignon, one week earlier than usual. Benefiting from the progressive decrease of temperature to maintain a great balance between freshness and ripeness, the grapes were picked over a long period of 9 weeks, until the last Carménère was brought in on May 24th.

Vintage 2018 resulted in the perfect combination between a generous harvest and a tremendously high level of quality on all our Bordeaux varieties.

Attractive dark ruby color, deep and opaque. ­e nose is pure, focused and layered, revealing delicate and clean aromas of blackberries, ripe cassis, currants and violet, associated with
‑ne notes of tobacco, cedar and coffee bean. Th­e mouth shows outstanding amplitude and balance, luscious texture, bright acidity, broad structure and persistence. ­The tannins are well reed, smooth and silky, enhancing the fresh and juicy character of the year. Precise and polished, the wine combines harmonious elegance, richness, ripeness and freshness in an exceptional and superb vintage.

Assemblage
Cabernet Sauvignon: 72 %, Carménère : 19 %, Cabernet Franc : 6 % and Petit Verdot : 3 %
Barrel Aging: 18 Months, New French Oak.

 

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Wine Watch invites you to participate live on ZOOM at 6pm EST on the 14th of April, simply click the link below at 6pm and you will be admitted to the party.

Andrew Lampasone is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Virtual Tasting with Almaviva Winery
Time: Apr 14, 2021 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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For those that would like to attend in person and be part of the studio audience on the day of the event the price is $75 + tax and there are only 10 seats available to our studio audience the day of the tasting.  There will be a few small bites served but this is not a dinner.  For reservations to be part of the studio audience please call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Interview with Almaviva's Francisco Zilleruelo | Almaviva

A bit about Almaviva Winery:

In 1997, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA, and Eduardo Guilisasti Tagle, Chairman of Viña Concha y Toro S.A., sealed a partnership agreement with a view to create an exceptional Franco-Chilean wine called Almaviva.

Produced under the joint technical supervision of both partners, the first vintage achieved immediate international success upon its launch in 1998..

Made from a blend of classic Bordeaux varieties, in which Cabernet Sauvignon predominates, Almaviva is the result of a felicitous encounter between two cultures.        

Chile offers its soil, its climate and its vineyards, while France contributes its winemaking savoir-faire and traditions.           

The result is an exceptionally elegant and complex wine.  Its launch was a major milestone in the development of Chilean wines, both in Chile itself and in the international market.

There is still no official classification of wines in Chile. However, the launch of Almaviva has given rise to the Primer Orden category, a Spanish term that corresponds to the French concept of Grand Cru and the English estate grown wines.  

Primer Orden wines are made and bottled at the estate own winery and vineyards, by a technical team dedicated exclusively to producing one wine.

Located in the Maipo Valley, in Chile's central zone, Puente Alto was recognized over twenty years ago as offering ideal conditions for growing the Cabernet Sauvignon grape.           

It is here that 85 hectares have been reserved exclusively for Almaviva.

Located in Puente Alto, this bodega was designed by the famous Chilean architect Martín Hurtado. Built in 1998, and inaugurated in the year 2000, this winery is recognized as a perfect integration of both esthetic design and functionality.  

For its construction, native woods were brought from the south of Chile, integrating the bodega into the typical Chilean Central Valley landscape. The decoration of its interior is inspired by the native people of Chile, using throughout the bodega symbols and artifacts representative of the Mapuche culture.

Although the winter rainfall was slightly inferior to historical average, the rains were steady and well distributed throughout the winter season. Reasonably warm temperatures and a good water supply in the soil helped to ensure a homogenous bud-break in September, and a great growth in October-November.

From December to February, the maximum temperatures remained considerably elevated during the day, with a diurnal fluctuation of temperatures particularly high.           

Lower temperatures in April slowed down the ripening process to give us the latest harvest date ever, with picking lasting from April 24 to May 24. Dry conditions and slow ripening contributed to a great accumulation of phenolic compounds, a good balance and an optimal ripeness of the grapes.