【パーカーポイント 96点】
アルマヴィーヴァ 2018 Almaviva チリ 赤ワイン

Almaviva 2018

2018年はブラックベリー、カシス、杉、凝縮度は高く、しっかりしたストラクチャーがあります。シルキーで、明るい黒系の果実がみっしりと詰まっています。乱暴さはみじんもなく、細部まで行き届いている緻密な構成。キルシュ、タバコ、フレッシュ感を秘めていて、洗練されたバランス、極めて長いフィニッシュ。ムートンを連想させる筋肉質のワインです。

生産者

アルマヴィーヴァ
Almaviva

ヴィンテージ

2018

容量

750ml

解説

パーカーポイント: 96点
予想される飲み頃：2020 - 2035

My last Chile article questioned whether 2018 had been the best vintage of the last 20 years in the country, so I was very curious to taste the 2018 Almaviva. 2018 was a cooler year with more rain and a later budding and ripening of the grapes, especially in a cooler terroir close to the Andes, as is the case with Almaviva. The harvest was slow, as temperatures went down, further increasing the balance between freshness and ripeness of the grapes. The varietal breakdown is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Carmenère (from Peumo), 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The grapes ripened thoroughly, as the 14.9% alcohol of the final blend shows, a little higher than previous years and with similar readings of acidity. The wine feels quite complete and nicely crafted; they use all of their resources and technology to select the perfect grapes that ferment pristinely destemmed and crushed in stainless steel tanks at 25 to 28 degrees Celsius, mostly with selected yeasts. Malolactic was part in barrique and part in tank during the alcoholic fermentation. It matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, 73% of them new and the remaining 27% second use. It's a solid, well-built and seamless Almaviva, with clout and balance. 2018 was a more homogeneous vintage, globally considered one of the best in recent times in Chile. They identify a great vintage when they see more homogeneous quality in their different wines, and winemaker Michel Friou explained that this year some wines from three- or four-year-old vines were really good. It feels like a very complete wine, from a year when the seasons were marked and when the plant followed the development with almost textbook conditions - the grapes ripened thoroughly, developing more flavors and nuances while keeping the freshness. This is still a baby, extremely young and creamy, but it is still approachable; there are no edges, but what's remarkable is the balance and stuffing and all the necessary ingredients for a great development in bottle. This is quite different from 2016; it's a vintage with power and clout, a wine that has fruit and intensity and is balanced, without the concentration and tannins of the 2017. It’s a more complete year that combines the finesse of 2016 with more thorough ripeness. The spicy and peppery character comes through with some time in the glass. 200,000 bottles produced. It was bottled during the last week of January 2020.
(Issue 250 End of August 2020, The Wine Advocate, 1st Sep 2020)