Sarah Heller MW is Asia-Pacific's youngest Master of Wine. Sarah is not only a wine expert of the finest hour, but also a visual artist. Her Visual Tasting Notes are a unique project; an extraordinary rendition of a wine description.
You need to read these visual tasting notes from top to bottom. The outline of the picture reflects the 'shape' of the wine. All other tasting components have been incorporated into the artwork as well, such as aromas, colours, acids and tannins.
Her artwork of Viña Seña 2014 describes: powerful cassis fruit, bitter herbal tonic and earth. Extremely fine, silky tannins drape over a body of medium weight with brightening acidity.
About the winery
The brains behind Viña Seña are two icons from the wine world. Robert Mondavi and Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz struck up a special collaboration in the 1990s, when they embarked on a quest for the best terroir in Chile. Convinced of the country’s potential, they wanted to show this to the rest of the world. The search for the perfect terroir took four years! They eventually found the best location in the Aconcagua Valley, north of the capital Santiago. The vineyards are 40 kilometers away from the Pacific Ocean. Here, the vines enjoy the ultimate conditions. The sea breeze has a tempering effect, so it never gets too hot during the day. It also cools down sufficiently at night to maintain a good acidity. Moreover, the soil consists of volcanic rock with loess, clayey loam and gravel. This adds up to a soil type with a lot of mineral nutrients and good drainage. Perfect for high quality grapes.
The wine was named Seña, which is Spanish for ‘sign’. They took it as a sign to show the world that Chile is fit to produce world-class wines. This was validated during the Berlin Wine Tasting in 2004, where Viñedo Chadwick 2000 and Seña 2001 took first and second place respectively. Both wines are the work of Eduardo Chadwick.
Viña Seña 2014
Viña Seña is the best of Bordeaux and the best of Chile combined. The blend consists mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère, supplemented with Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The different grape varieties are fermented separately, so that each variety gets exactly the right skin soaking and extraction. After assembling the blend, 95% of the wine matures for 22 months in wooden barrels of 67% new French oak. The remaining 5% matures in large new barrels, also known as foeders.
Without doubt, this wine places Seña at the top in Chile!
