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Almaviva is a Franco-Chilean partnership between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Mouton Rothschild and Concha y Toro of Chile. United by their pursuit of excellence, Almaviva has become one of South America’s finest and most revered wines.

This Chilean ‘First Growth’ stands out for the use of Carménère – an original Bordeaux variety – and is praised for its elegance, complexity, and ageing potential. The 2020 vintage is two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and a quarter Carménère, with dashes of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from Puente Alto in the Maipo Valley. ‘Voluptuous and flattering on the palate’, says James Suckling, this exceptional wine is full-bodied and serious with a line of freshness and super length.

In 1997, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and Don Alfonso Larraín, Chairman of Concha y Toro, finalised their partnership agreement. Chile offers its soil, climate and vineyard, while France brings its winegrowing traditions and expertise. The results have been spectacular, with Almaviva receiving numerous international accolades and even 100-point scores. The estate’s name is taken from classic French literature: Count Almaviva is a central figure in The Marriage of Figaro by Beaumarchais (1732-1799), turned into an opera by Mozart.

The 2020 vintage was aged for 20 months in 73% new barrels. Limited quantities available.

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Tasting notes

Almaviva Puente Alto 2020

'Fresh and deep nose, full of blueberries, minty cassis, mussels, cigars, dark spice and roasted sesame oak, which will need a year or two to fully integrate. A medium-to full-bodied Almaviva with supple, silky tannins and a wealth of black and blue fruit that provides a lot of charm now. Voluptuous and flattering on the palate, hallmarked by its tension and taut texture. Very long. This is the 25th anniversary bottling. 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenere, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.' – James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, 98/100

'2020 was exceptionally dry, with 75% less rain than usual in the period between May and September, which resulted in an earlier harvest to produce a 2020 Almaviva with 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenere (from Peumo), 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, so with no Merlot this time. The process was as careful as possible, without using any pumps, doing manual and optical sorting of the grapes, pressing in small vertical presses and aging of 20 months in French oak barrels, 73% of them new and the rest second use. The wine reached good ripeness with 14.9% alcohol. It still shows the effect of the élevage a bit, with abundant notes of sweet spices, a creamy touch and some smoke. I tasted it next to the 2019, and the wines have a very similar aromatic palette with a clear note of baked peppers. What was amazing in 2020 was that they harvested the Carmenere almost five weeks earlier than they normally would, and the result is not a green wine at all. As in all dry years, the wines show a little more tannic, a little in the style of the 2017—but the 2020 has more tension than the 2017, and the 2017 was more powerful and with a bigger tannic structure. The 2019 had more volume than the 2018, and the 2020 is closer to the 2019 than the 2018' – Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, 96/100

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