Almaviva Vina Almaviva EPU 2019
- spw96+
- js94
- wa93+
- ws93
- v92
Category | Red Wine |
Varietals | |
Brand | Almaviva |
Origin | Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto |
Alcohol/vol | 15% |
# 91 WS Top 100 of 2022
About this Wine:
EPU, the name of Almaviva’s second wine, means “two” in the language of the Mapuche, one of the main indigenous cultures of southern Chile. EPU comes from the same exceptional vines and terroir of Almaviva, Puente Alto. Modelled on the second wines of the most prestigious Bordeaux châteaux, and produced in very limited quantities, EPU shares many characteristics of Almaviva, nonetheless, expressed through its own personality.
Tasting Notes:
Deep, intense ruby red. The nose is attractive, vibrant and fruit-forward, with aromas of wild raspberry and cassis, combined with subtle notes of spices and tea leaves. In the mouth, the attack is round pleasant, nicely balanced between tension and ripeness, density and finesse, the wine presents smooth and polished tannins. The predominant Cabernet Sauvignon reveals the pure expression of the Puente Alto terroir, with an intense, fresh, and distinctive fruit of cassis and berries.
An elegant, harmonious and youthful wine, with persistent notes of vanilla and red berries throughout its long, savoury finish.
Station Plaza Wine
- spw96+
James Suckling
- js94
Aromas of blueberries, blackberries and fresh flowers. Very cool and pure. Medium-bodied with fine, linear and very integrated tannins that are compressed and silky-textured. New second wine of Almaviva. Needs time to open. Try after 2024.
Wine Advocate
- wa93+
The first truly international release of the second wine is going to be the 2019 Epu, which has changed image and label, looking a little more like Almaviva, and is going to be sold through the Bordeaux négoce. 2019 was a very dry vintage, and the blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Carmenere, 2% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc with slightly higher alcohol than 2018 and with lower acidity, matured in used barriques for one year. In terms of freshness, the wine is quite similar to the 2018 that I tasted next to it, obviously a little younger, quite intense and fruit-driven, spicy and herbal, with a creamy texture and fine-grained tannins. It's a second wine, but they also want to do something different and Epu is perhaps a little more classical, perhaps this is more Bordeaux and Almaviva is more Chilean. 70,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2020 and January 2021.
Wine Spectator
- ws93
This red offers ripe plum and cherry cordial flavors up front, revealing layers of nuance as it unfolds, including intriguing orange zest, Calabrian chili and olive notes. Presents a fresh, minerally acidity midpalate that pushes all the flavors to the finish, with zesty but firm tannins and echoes back to the opening flavors. Shows tremendous length. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenre, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Vinous
- v92
The 2019 Bordeaux Blend EUP is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Carmenere, 2% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc from Puente Alto, Maipo, aged for 12 months in French barrels. Vivid purple in color. The intense nose offers blackberry and black currants notes with hints of jam, pepper and balsamic aromas. Indulgent initially with good intensity and fruitiness. The polished Maipo tannins keep in juicy in spite of the 15% alcohol, filling the mouth with flavor.