The September La Place releases have officially begun with the Chilean “Grand Cru Classe” wine Almaviva.
Almaviva 2018 was released this morning at €96 per bottle ex-negociant, the same price as the 2017 release. The wine is being offered by the international trade at £1,212 per 12×75, a 2.9% decrease on the 2017 release price (£1,248).
James Suckling, who awarded today’s release 98 points, called it “a joy to taste”. He described it as “a beautifully nuanced red with tobacco, dried herbs, wet earth and currants […] full-bodied and chewy, yet refined with great polish […] rich and intense at the same time”.
Almaviva 2018 received 96 points from The Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutiérrez, who noted that “this is quite different from 2016; it’s a vintage with power and clout, a wine that has fruit and intensity and is balanced, without the concentration and tannins of the 2017. It’s a more complete year that combines the finesse of 2016 with more thorough ripeness”.
Almaviva 2018 is coming to the market at a price point comparable to recent vintages; however, it carries the highest Wine Advocate score ever (the first vintage was 1996).
Those looking for Almaviva with a bit of age might wish to consider the 94-point 2014, currently available at a similar price.
