Rating
97
Release Price
$150
Drink Date
2023 - 2035
Reviewed by
Luis Gutiérrez
Issue Date
31st Aug 2022
Source
Issue 262 End of August 2022, The Wine Advocate
The 2020 Seña is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 7% Petit Verdot (a little higher in search of acidity) from grapes harvested early, the second week of March, and fermented mostly in stainless steel and 10% in concrete eggs. It has a moderate 13.5% alcohol and good freshness. It's subtle and layered, not only fruit but with more spice; it has polished tannins and very integrated oak after 22 months in barrique, 78% new, and with 10% of the volume in large Stockinger barrels. The warmer years seem to be nicely managed, so that it's not reflected in the ripeness but is more a matter of texture and quality of the tannins; in the warmer years, like 2017 or this 2019, the wines have a little more grip, but these are definitely finer than those from the 2017 vintage. This wine has intensity and complexity, with no mintiness or herbal notes; it's spicy and juicy, with energy and depth. It has structure, color, stuffing and acidity to develop nicely in bottle. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 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.
