Sena could arguably be said to be the one that broke the mould for the international wine community to take seriously Chilean wines.

Its name Sena which translates as "Signal" was designed to be an icon of Chilean winemaking right from the get go, with any and all resources necessary dedicated to achieving that feat - it was a "whatever it took" sort of project by Eduardo Chadwick, the fifth-generation chief of his family's Vina Errazuriz, a Chilean vineyard that was established all the way back in 1870.

Eduardo Chadwick (left) with Robert Mondavi (right).

Chilean wines had a bit of a reputation problem up till the 2000's, where it was largely dismissed as entry-level, cheap wines. Yet Eduardo had believed that Chile had the right terroir for great winemaking, which for him was comparable to California's potential in the 1970s which was inherent but took some time and dedicated effort to realise. Thankfully, a 1991 encounter with Napa Valley vintner Robert Mondavi would eventually lead to a collaboration in what would culminate as Sena. After all Mondavi had just years earlier done the same with Baron Philippe de Rothschild which resulted in the hit Opus One.

They would select a spot for the new vineyard down the Aconcagua Valley, just 40km away from the Pacific Coast, at the base of the Andes Mountains, which would allow the 40-plus hectare vineyard to not only enjoy a microclimate of dry and warm summers, with cold and rainy winters, protected on side by a shelf of cool air from the Pacific Coast, and on the other, receiving pure meltwater from the Andes mountains for irrigation. The soils in the vineyard range from gravel, clay to loamy which would support what Mondavi felt was necessary to achieve international acclaim, the creation of a Bordeaux-style red wine which followed the tradition of being Cabernet Sauvignon heavy, along with Merlot (later replaced by Malbec) and with some Carmenere for a Chilean twist.

And really no expense was spared on the creation of Sena, and when it was ready by 2000, Eduardo would conduct what was called The Berlin Tasting in 2004, which had hoped to mirror what the 1976 Judgement of Paris did for Californian wines. Sure enough, to cut to the chase, the highly publicised blind wine tasting had put Sena ahead of the likes of French legendaries Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Margaux and Chateau Latour, and Solaia from Italy. Heck, Eduardo would even have Steven Spurrier host the event, just to make sure it resembled as closely possible the landmark event that took place in Paris.

This was replicated 21 times over around the world with consistent results, reaffirming Sena's legitimacy to be amongst the best wines in the world, and would raise the overall profile of Chile in the wine community - exactly what Eduardo had sought to achieve all the way back in 1991. Today, winemaking is helmed by Head Winemaker Francisco Baettig.

So Sena - a gamechanging wine for Chile, let's see what you've got! We've got the 2020 vintage with us today. The 2020 vintage was marked by a warm and early season, and is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 7% Petit Verdot, aged for 22 months in 90% French oak barrels (78% new) and the remaining 10% in foudres.

Let's go! 

Sena 2020 - Review

Tasting Notes

Colour: Light Ruby

Aroma: Fruit forward with notes of moderately dense and rich raspberry and blackberry jam, with some vegetal chewiness of mulberry leaves tossed in. It's got moderate depth with a reasonably good concentration and density. Opens up further into blackcurrant cordial, as well as some faint spice.

Taste: Good richness here, more of those blackberry and raspberry jams. It's rounded with a lovely plushness, soft and more velvety in texture. Medium-plus bodied.

Finish: Soft tannins but more noticeable here. Recedes with a light wash of red berry jams, some red licorice and cherries. It's a soft and delicate finish, gentle and plush.

My Thoughts

A very lovely and approachable wine that's got presence and elegance - it's got the weight and richness to stand out, but executes its texture and progression with a really lovely elegance. It's got a good depth on the nose with a nice amount of complexity, while on the palate its alot more plush and silky, transitioning very elegantly into the finish where it recedes softly, showcasing a more firm body that wasn't as prominent on the palate.

This is a perfectly above average showing, and if it had more intensity and boldness, with more power on the palate, it would go up a notch! It feels young, probably best to give it a couple of years.