Sena 2015

Good looking normal size bottle and in an perfect condition. Colour is cherry red, and looking clear and medium. On the nose it is youthful, refined and closed. The taste is fruity, fresh,robust, warming, with medium tannin, with drying tannins, and average in acidity, medium-bodied, developing and the palate is sharp. On the palate it is layered and has mineral, spice, cherry and blackberry flavours. The finish is medium long and a bit too neutral .. This wine is nice but not special. I paid around 100-200€ a bottle. Perfectly stored bottles are still very worthy and will last well for another 5-10€ years and decant at least 15min before tasting. Too expensive for quality. I do not recommend it.

Released September 2017. 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carmenère, 3% Cabernet Franc, 12% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot. TA 6 g/l, pH 3.55, RS 2.21 g/l. A dry growing season with average rainfall meant steady flowering, fruit set and healthy fruit conditions. Hand-picked and sorted by hand. Stainless-steel fermentation, three pumpovers per day. Total maceration time ranged from 15–30 days for the Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, and 8–12 days for the Petit Verdot. The final blend was racked to French oak barrels (65% new) and aged for 22 months, during which time malolactic fermentation and stabilisation occurred naturally. 
Mid crimson. Aromatic and almost Margaux-like. Sweet and polished. Easy to appreciate. Not one of the most concentrated vintages. But very appetising and fairly forward.

As a comparison to the 2014 vintage of this wine, the 2015 Seña resulted in 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carmenere, 12% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, with now 12% of the wine matured in new Stockinger oak foudres and the rest in barrique for some 22 months. 2015 might have been a slightly warmer year, but the resulting wine is lower in alcohol and higher in acidity, which provide for a more vibrant mouthfeel and a more focused expression of the character of the place. This vintage has half a degree less alcohol, and the acidity is a little more pungent; and, the amount of wine in foudre seems to help the oak to show better integrated. This is dry, nicely textured, and the replacement of the Merlot by Malbec seems to have also added to the refinement of the tannins that are super-elegant. 66,000 bottles were filled in February 2017.

I had the chance to taste a vertical of Seña wines starting from the 2009 vintage, and I have to admit that 2015 was the most comprehensive that I tried.  Not only does it have a full dark fruited side, but also a lovely acidity and well-balanced finish. There is a great complexity, complemented by long lasting flavors and a heighten elegance. The tannins are still very firm, yet refined. This 2015 Seña can compete with any of the top red wines from the Old World!  Drinking window 2023-2045. Blend: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carmenere, 12% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc.