Almaviva EPU Maipo Valley Puente Alto 2020

94 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): "The current release of their second wine is the 2020 Epu. It's selected from the same terroir and vineyard in Puente Alto, one of the most reputed places for Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile, but from the younger vines (five to 20 years old) and harvested a little earlier to preserve acidity and fruit. In the warm and dry 2020 vintage, the wine was produced with a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Carmenere, 5% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, usually higher in Cabernet and lower in Carmenere than Almaviva. It has red ripe berries, the textbook blackberries and cassis and some creamy oak. It's ripe at 14.8% alcohol and has mellow acidity, good freshness and balance, with a pH of 3.71 and 4.8 grams of acidity (tartaric). It matured for 12 months in French barriques, 10% new and 90% second use. The wine has a bright nose with a clean note of baked "morrón" peppers intermixed with red berry compote. It has a velvety palate with the luxurious texture of the modern Bordeaux, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins. It's approachable and round but should reward some time in bottle. This is a pretty serious Epu. Drink: 2023-2030. (4/6/23)"

94 points James Suckling: "Lots of finely roasted sweet spice and roasted sesame to the blackberries, cassis and iron, together with hints of blue fruit and cured meat. A medium-to full-bodied palate, filled with rather generous sweet berries. Fleshy, supple and savory with quite fine-grained tannins and a long finish. First year with 10% new wood. 81% cabernet sauvignon, 12% carmenere, 5% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. Already delicious, but can hold, too. (5/11/25)"

94 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Deep garnet, purple reflections, good depth, discreet brightening on the rim. Fine oak nuances, some caramel and blackberries, a hint of crème de cassis in the background. Juicy, red wild berries, ripe cherries, silky, supporting tannins, good freshness. Elegant and despite youth already balanced, a versatile food companion. Distributed since the 2019 vintage at the Platz Bordeaux. Alcohol 14.8%. (2/10/23)"

93 points Joaquín Hidalgo (Vinous): "The 2020 Epu is 4/5 Cabernet Sauvignon with rest made up of Carménère, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, all from Puente Alto in the Maipo Valley. Garnet-red in color. Presents intense blackcurrant and blackberry aromas with hints of mint and herbs over a bed of oak, accompanied by cedar and sweet spice notes. Indulgent and expansive in the mouth. The warm vintage's high alcohol content (15%) pumps up the voluminous, ripe expression while the tannins are refined. A long-lasting, rich combination. Drink: 2023-2035. (Jun 2023)"

93 points Wine Spectator: "Shows lovely floral blueberry and loam notes up front, while the fleshy core of concentrated blackberry and cassis grabs your attention and lingers nicely around saline and iron notes. Ends with firm, dusty tannins and hints of dark chocolate. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2033. (4/30/23)"

93 points Tim Atkin, MW: "(14.9%). First produced as a second wine in 2000, but only available through the Place de Bordeaux since the 2019 vintage, EPU mostly uses grapes from Almaviva’s younger vines in the Maipo Valley and Peumo. Matured in 10% new wood for the first time - a reflection of the power and structure of the 2020 vintage perhaps – it’s Cabernet Sauvignon-led with a surrounding chorus of 12% Carmenère, 5% Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Plush, broad and comparatively forward in style, with ripe, supple tannins, plum, blackberry and dark chocolate flavours, subtle oak integration and a full-bodied finish 2024-28. (2023)"

92 points Descorchados: "The notes of a hot year come through in this version of Epu, the aromas of sweet ripe fruits and exotic spices combined with herbal notes. The body is juicy with very soft tannins and acidity that moves through the mouth, providing a necessary freshness for balance. This is a wine with deep flavors and, despite that ripeness, it's not cloying or overripe. Epu is the second wine from Almaviva, the renowned winery in Alto Maipo, and corresponds more or less to 20% of the production of the 79 hectares that Almaviva has in Puente Alto (65) and in Peumo (14), the latter in the Cachapoal Valley. (Jan 2024)"