84% Cabernet Sauvignon & 16% Carmenere Aconcagua Valley, Chile Producer Tasting Notes:"Seña 1997 refl¬ects the warm, dry growing season, refined through extended barrel ageing. The rich, concentrated wine, which is almost black, features ripe tannins and well-integrated vanilla oak. On the nose, spicy Cabernet Sauvignon characters evoke dark chocolate, ripe red cherries, elderberries and cassis. Bottle bouquet softens and integrates the fruit aromas. The wine is exquisitely complex on the palate. Oak, spice and ripe berry fruit are harmoniously integrated and well-balanced. The ripe tannins have softened with time in barrel, producing a velvety mouthfeel and a sweet, lingering finish." Tim Mondavi, Winemaker February 1999 16 months in French oak barrels (43% new) Vintage NotesThe winter of 1996 was one of the driest in a decade, and the tail end of a seven-year drought resulted in meagre yields. The growing season was cold at first but presented good growth conditions by flowering and fruit set, which enabled the scant number of bunches to fill out nicely. Temperatures were a bit warmer than average throughout the ripening season, which prompted early sugar accumulation in the grapes, and the fruit reached the winery in excellent, healthy condition. This vintage's wines genuinely reflect the season's conditions, with ripe fruit, tremendous concentration on the palate, and well-ripened tannins. Producer Notes:Seña, was created as a joint venture between Chilean Eduardo Chadwick and American Robert Mondavi way back in 1995. their aim was to make a wine that would demonstrate the full potential of Chile. Modelled on a Bordeaux style, it would have a Chilean soul, with its grapes grown under biodynamic farming principles in the Aconcagua Valley. their dream was to create a wine that would be welcomed, in time, among the world's First Growths.
