Puente Alto

Beef, Veal, Poultry, Pasta

The 2012 vintage was dry, with only 200 mm of rainfall between May through October 2011 in Puente Alto, which was two-thirds of a typical year. With September being warmer than usual, bud break occurred earlier for Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carménère. However, the lower temperatures in October resulted in a delayed bud break for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Summer was hot, dry and warmer than the previous two years, with veraison occurring 10 days earlier than normal. March was particularly hot, with the average maximum temperature among the highest historical figures. Understandably, the 2012 harvest started two weeks earlier than usual. It began on March 15th for the first Merlot and ended on May 18th for the last Carménère. However, most of the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked under lower temperatures, from April 17th through May 14th, as well as for the Carménère from May 8th through 18th. All of these peculiar conditions favored a great and healthy quality of fruit, with optimal levels of ripeness, concentration and purity.

19 months in new French oak, 78% New

In 1997 Baroness Philippine de Rothschild Chairman of the Advisory Board of Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA and Eduardo Guilisasti Tagle Chairman of Viña Concha y Toro S.A. sealed a partnership agreement with a view to create an exceptional Franco-Chilean wine called Almaviva. Produced under the joint technical supervision of both partners the first vintage achieved immediate international success upon its launch in 1998. The name Almaviva though it has an Hispanic sonority belongs to classical French literature: Count Almaviva is the hero of The Marriage of Figaro the famous play by Beaumarchais (1732-1799) later turned into an opera by the genius of Mozart. The label meanwhile pays homage to Chile’s ancestral history with three reproductions of a stylized design which symbolizes the vision of the earth and the cosmos in the Mapuche civilization. The design appears on the kultrun a ritual drum used by the Mapuche. The label bears the name Almaviva in Beaumarchais’ own handwriting. Two great traditions thus join hands to offer the whole world a promise of pleasure and excellence. The Château concept was introduced in the XIX century in France as a way to honor creative mastery of winegrowers from Bordeaux. Almaviva was the first wine in Chile created under this French Château concept taking into account exceptional terroir one unique bodega and one technical team – the three of which are dedicated exclusively to the production of one wine of unparalleled quality and excellence.