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The taste, scores and pricing for Chile’s Seña and Chadwick 2019 releases
La Place de Bordeaux released Seña and Chadwick from the 2019 vintage yesterday, and we consider the pricing and character of these top Chilean Cabernets from the Chadwick-Errázuriz wine group.
Commenting on the Seña release yesterday, Magui Chadwick, the daughter of Eduardo Chadwick, who is the president and owner of Chile’s Chadwick-Errázuriz family wine range, told the drinks business that the icon label had “gone”, and already enjoyed an increase in price on the secondary market.
“We are very happy with the results,” she said.
According to Liv-ex, Seña 2019 was released at €80 per bottle ex-négociant, the same as the 2018 vintage, while it was offered by the international trade at £1,002 for a 12-bottle case, which represented a rise of 1.2% on the 2018 release price of £990.
As previously reported by db, the 2019 vintage of Seña is the 25th made since the label was launched in 1997, and has been released with a new look.
Around 100,000 bottles have been made of the latest release, with the The Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutiérrez giving the wine 98 points. He commented that “this is incredibly elegant, subtle and harmonious even at this early stage”, adding that the wine is “getting better and better by the vintage”.
James Suckling also gave the 2019 Seña 98 points, calling it “a wine with soul and length” and advised collectors to “give it time”.
Viñedo Chadwick 2019 was also released yesterday, with a price of €225 per bottle ex-négociant. Liv-ex recorded that it is being offered internationally for £2,832 per case, and has received 99-points from James Suckling, who said it “suggests greatness and longevity”.
Both the wines were tasted by myself last month, and I’ve included my notes on them below, with a fuller analysis on the top-end labels set to feature in the September issue of the drinks business.
Seña 2019: Fresh, youthful, pure red and dark berry fruit dominate the nose, with cherry and blackcurrant, plums too, and then a touch of creamy vanilla, followed by lingering cedar wood notes.
In the mouth, it’s smooth, medium weight, and fine, with a texture that ranges from soft ripe fruit, to sour cherry, with plenty of gently mouthcoating tannin to bring a dry refreshing edge. There are layers of flavour, from raspberry and cherry, to blackcurrant and cracked pepper, along with toast and a touch of cigar box. The balance is beautiful: there is pristine fruit – nothing is over or underripe – and there’s a brightness: the wine has no hint of heat from excess alcohol. (Patrick Schmitt MW, August 2021)
Viñedo Chadwick 2019: One sniff of Viñedo Chadwick 2019 suggests this is a layered and restrained wine. It features fresh fruit, from blackcurrant to raspberry and plums, even a touch of cherry stone, with a background note of creamy vanilla and cedar from the barrel-ageing – there’s no hint of dried late-picked fruit, nor oak-sourced sweetness.
The palate supports such aromatics. The wine is fully ripe, but not heavy or jammy, with pristine fruit, ranging from blackcurrant to plum, then a touch of cranberry to brighten the taste. While there is a touch of cracked pepper-like spice, there are no green characters among the other flavours, which include toast and cigar box.
The structure seems classic and taut, with a medium weight, and redcurrants on the finish. There’s also a chalky tannin texture to give a gentle dryness, further enhancing the fresh sensation of this elegant and intense Cabernet. When these traits are combined, this is a wine that’s pleasant to drink now, but clearly an expression that will deliver more in the future – a red that will reward long-term cellaring. (Patrick Schmitt MW, August 2021)
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