Epu 2021

Almaviva

Almaviva is the Avant Garde and forward-thinking collaboration between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Mouton Rothschild and Conch y Toro, with the aim of creating the first Bordeaux Grand Cru Classe level wine in Chile. With 40 hectares of Concha y Toro's best Puente Alto vineyards being dedicated to the task and the steady hand of Patrick Leon (winemaker at Mouton and Opus One), the results have been nothing short of spectacular.

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. Characteristic features of Puente Alto include its stony soil, cold, rainy winters, and the hot days and cool nights of its summers. The Almaviva vineyard is tended with meticulous care from pruning to harvest. A revolutionary underground drip irrigation system has been installed, making it possible to deliver the precise amount of water that each vine needs with a constant concern for quality.

Epu is the second wine of Almaviva. Aged for one year in 10% new oak. Aromas of roasted sweet spice alongside blackberry fruit, cassis and hints of blue fruit and cured meat. Medium-to full-bodied with supple tannins and a long finish. Read more with our blog.

Wines are expected to land in the UK in December 2023

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Items are expected to land in the UK May 2024
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Reviews

Robert Parker 94 Points, James Suckling 94 Points

Bottle Format: 75cl

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£279
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£212.64
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Ratings

94 Points Robert Parker

Their second wine, the 2021 Epu is from the same terroir and vineyard in Puente Alto as Almaviva but comes from the younger vines, around 12 years on average. In 2021, the blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Carmenere and 5% Merlot (no Cabernet Franc this year). It has a ripe and heady nose, with 14.68% alcohol (15% on the label), mellow acidity and intense notes of red peppers, ripe blackberries and cassis and some spiciness from the oak. It matured for one year in French barriques, only 10% new and 90% second use. It has a little less structure and softer tannins, making it more approachable than previous years, a profile that seems to be the signature of the year. It's medium to full-bodied with velvety, more polished tannins, and it is more delicate and less concentrated, with more finesse. But I find these quite homogeneous and regular, this year with no raisins or dehydrated grapes, and in this vintage, it feels open and expressive. 80,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2023

94 Points James Suckling

Fresh and subtle nose with cassis, lead pencil and some red chili peppers. A hint of lavender and cedar. This is quite supple on the palate with a medium body and silky, soft tannins. Pretty generous and flattering. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 15% carmenere and 5% merlot. Drink now.

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Chile

Chile

Chile is one of South America's most important wine-producing countries. Occupying a thin strip down the western coast of the continent, it is home to a wide range of terroirs, and an equally wide range of wine styles. The Chilean viticultural industry is often associated in export markets with consistent, good-value wines, but some world-class reds are also made, commanding high prices. For red wines the initial export mainstays have been Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Chile’s golden age was the end of the 19th century, when the rest of the wine world had been crippled by downy mildew and phylloxera but this isolated wine producer could supply almost limitless quantities of healthy, deep-coloured wine, made from familiar vinifera vines that had been imported into Chile earlier in the century.

Chile’s most important red wine variety by far is Cabernet Sauvignon, which accounts for more than a third of all vines planted. País (Criolla Chica in Argentina), grown mainly in the unirrigated south, ends up in cheap cartons sold on the local market. Merlot still has a very strong presence but less so than before the formal identification in 1994 of the old Bordeaux variety Carmenère. For many years no distinction was made between the two varieties and many vineyards had mixed plantings. A growing pride in what many refer to as Chile’s signature variety has resulted in many more high-quality wines labelled Carmenère or comprising Carmenère blends. But Chile's fine wines now include Syrahs, Malbecs, old vine Carignan from Maule and, increasingly, red blends.