Drink Date:
2024 - 2030
The second vintage of their second wine, the 2021 Rocas de Seña is less opulent and with more tension and floral aromas (but with power too) than the 2020. It was produced with a blend of 35% Malbec, 21% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Grenache, 9% Petit Verdot and, for the first time, 5% Mourvedre. Grenache and Mourvedre were planted in 2005 on the family's other property that was first planted in 1999 with Syrah. It's a little below the 14% alcohol stated on the label. It fermented mostly in stainless steel and some concrete eggs for the Garnacha, and it aged separately before being blended, lowering the total time in barrel to 18 to 20 months. It's floral, perfumed, elegant and expressive, with herbal freshness and a spicy twist from the barrels. The palate is fine-boned, balanced and elegant. You notice the different aromatic and gustative palette when tasted next to Seña, with fine-grained, chalky tannins. This is a noteworthy second label with drinkability and aging capability. 50,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2023.
Seña has finished the redistribution and replanting of their vineyards after a soils study, using the new Malbecs and some Petit Verdot in the second wine, Rocas de Seña, with a base of Malbec with Cabernet and with some Mediterranean grapes (Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre). 2021 was a cooler year without high peaks in the summer, which is key, reasonable rain in winter and the good conditions for settling and cooler temperatures than the average in the summer. It's a healthy vintage, similar to 2016, with less rain and acidity and with a little more structure and concentration but with finesse and balance and a little slimmer than the 2018s. They harvested later than in 2020 and 2019. 2021 is the last harvest from winemaker Francisco "Pancho" Baettig, who is now dedicated to his personal project in the south but still working as a consultant for the Chadwick family after 20 years of dedication.
Published: Aug 31, 2023
2020 Rocas de Seña
Rating93
Release Price$60
Drink Date2022 - 2028
Reviewed byLuis GutiérrezIssue Date31st Aug 2022SourceIssue 262 End of August 2022, The Wine Advocate
A new second wine here, the 2020 Rocas de Seña is named after the rocky soils from Seña is different as it includes Mediterranean grapes in the blend. This is the first vintage produced, and it’s a blend of 38% Malbec, 25% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Grenache (from their property in Vertientes, where the Syrah also comes from) and 8% Petit Verdot from selected plots from their property in Aconcagua. 2020 was warm and dry and saw an early harvest that delivered concentrated and powerful wines, this one at 14% alcohol and with a pH of 3.53 and 6.09 grams of acidity. It fermented mostly in stainless steel and 10% in concrete eggs, and the blend matured for 22 months in French oak barrels, 65% of them new. The nose is very expressive, and the palate is juicy and textured palate, a little warmer and riper than the Seña, with that Mediterranean twist from the Garnacha and Syrah. It has an intense nose, quite primary, with red berries, herbs and even a citrus touch, but there is no sweetness at all. The fine tannins have grip, and the finish is dry and serious. The élevage was similar to the Seña, but in the future, they might go for a slightly shorter élevage and use some foudres. The wine has a very nice bright color and is still young and lively, very much in the serious and elegant style of the Seña, despite the warm inaugural vintage, showing in the juicy palate. 30,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2022.
I tasted the 2020s from Seña, as there is now a second wine, Rocas de Seña. 2020 had a very warm spring, while the summer was milder but with a warm end of the season, but they harvested in March. It wasn't as warm as 2017, but it's considered a warm year; and yields were higher, so the ripeness is more contained. The key to the vintage was availability of water: because it was a very dry year, those that had their own reservoirs were better off, and then the harvest date in April was extremely warm. 2020 was warmer than 2019, perhaps a finer and more elegant version of 2017, more in the style of 2012. The wines are now sold through the Bordeaux négoce.
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