From Chile's Aconcagua Valley comes this iconic Sena 2016, representing one of the most ambitious and successful wine projects in South American history. Created in 1995 as a joint venture between visionary Chilean Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz and legendary California winemaker Robert Mondavi, Sena was conceived to demonstrate Chile's potential for producing world-class wines that could compete with the greatest expressions globally. The 2016 vintage marked a revolutionary turning point for Sena, representing what critics describe as "probably the best version to date" and the beginning of a new style emphasizing freshness, elegance, and mineral precision over power. This 2016 vintage showcases remarkable elegance and sophistication, crafted from 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 15% Petit Verdot, 8% Carmenère, and 2% Cabernet Franc grown in the Seña vineyard planted in 1998 in the heart of Aconcagua Valley. The challenging 2016 harvest, marked by El Niño's heavy rains that reduced yields by up to 25% across Chile, paradoxically produced wines of exceptional quality for those producers who managed the vintage skillfully. Winemaker Francisco Baettig worked to obtain maximum freshness from the very cold temperatures of 2016, creating a wine that is vibrant and full of floral and spice notes with a medium-bodied palate showing juicy acidity and firm, sharp tannins described as "like small needles." The wine displays a linear, vertical character with concentrated and pure-tasting flavors of dried cherry, raspberry, and red currant framed by medium-grained tannins. The Carmenère variety adds an evident Chilean personality to the wine, while the biodynamic farming principles employed throughout the vineyard contribute to the wine's distinctive terroir expression. This vintage represents the successful evolution of Sena's style toward greater elegance and sophistication, fulfilling the founders' dream of creating a wine that would be welcomed among the world's First Growths. Founders: Eduardo Chadwick & Robert Mondavi (1995) Vineyard: Planted 1998, Aconcagua Valley Blend: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 15% Petit Verdot, 8% Carmenère, 2% Cabernet Franc Philosophy: Biodynamic farming principles
