RP/Luiz Gutierrez - The 2018 White Bones Chardonnay shows a slightly showier personality than the 2018 White Stones, but it's less balsamic and minty than the 2017 White Bones. But this bottling is always a little more aromatic and forward than the more backward White Stones; there are flowers, pollen, herbs and white pepper. But both whites are more about the place and vintage, more about the chalky soils that give them a very specific mouthfeel, with a dry, austere personality.

RP/Luiz Gutierrez - The outstanding 2018 White Stones Chardonnay epitomizes the expression of the grape in the cooler-climate and high-altitude location of the Adrianna vineyard in Gualtallary. There is rectitude, austerity and elegance, a subtle wine with great clout and intensity that comes through as chiselled, focused, symmetric and pure, more in the style of Roulot than Coche-Dury, with superb integration of all the elements and fine minerality. This is more about the place and vintage than the grape, which feels like a good way to transmit the chalky soils of the selected plots. Simply superb, possibly the finest vintage for this bottling so far.

RP/Luiz Gutierrez - The 2016 Clos Apalta is a blend of 64% Carménère (higher than in 2015), 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot hitting the scale at 15% alcohol with a pH of 3.7.
The Carménère and Cabernet were planted ungrafted in 1920, and all the vineyards are organic and biodynamic (certified) and very low yielding.
 The oak is surprisingly well integrated for such a young wine, and there is harmony, concentration and balance to make it age in bottle for a long time. The palate is full-bodied, and the tannins are fine-grained and in balance with the rest of the components, coming through as a compact and powerful yet elegant red. This has to be one of the finest Clos Apaltas of all time. 62,356 bottles produced.

BIN END PRICE

RP/Luiz Gutierrez - The blend for the 2014 Seña was 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Carmenere, 11% Malbec, 8% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot from their stony soils. The different grapes are carefully fermented separately and with different regimes of maceration and extraction but always looking for elegance within the natural power of the zone. The final blend was transferred to French oak barrels, 67% of them new (a percentage that seems to be slowly going down), for the élevage of 22 months. This time, some 5% of the volume carried out its aging in new Stockinger foudres. This is very much in line with the 2013 and the direction set by that cool year. The wine is very harmonious, elegant within the house style. Another superb vintage of Seña. This should age effortlessly in bottle.

HALF-BOTTLES - a great way to try a top wine, without having to pay the full price for standard bottle.