Vina Sena Dinner

1 Mar 2012: I really enjoyed organising the Viña Seña dinner in Hong Kong.  Diego Garay, the Commercial Director of the winery, responded with a lot of enthusiasm when I proposed hosting it at the Island Tang restaurant, pairing the Bordeaux-style wines from Chile with Chinese dishes, an idea that would suggest the collaboration of (almost) 3 diverse cultures and styles.  The result was rather encouraging: the dishes paired astonishingly well with the wines, which were all expressive of all the grape varieties, vintages and the region. The wines that were shown came from the vintages of 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2008.  The 2007 and 2008 were both opened 3 hours before serving.   The other vintages were opened an hour before serving.

Viña Seña was originally a joint venture between the Mondavi and the Chadwick families.  After Robert Mondavi died in 2008, it reverted to full ownership by Eduardo Chadwick.  Biodynamic practices were adopted in the vineyards starting in 2004.  The first vines were actually planted in 1997, which means that the earlier vintages were made by grapes sourced from different growers.  Cabernet Franc was planted in 1998 and Petit Verdot much later.  Therefore, the more recent vintages would typically be a blend of 5 different grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (majority), Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, each playing a vital role.  The vines are planted in hillside vineyards 41 km from the Pacific Ocean on the western side of the Aconcagua Valley, with moderating maritime influence. 

The menu read like this:

Island Tang Appetiser Delights (barbecued pork, pork belly with crispy skin, deep-fried tofu and roast pigeon leg stuffed with liver sausage) - 2008 Viña Seña

Deep-fried prawns with sweet and sour sauce - 2007 Viña Seña   

Crispy rice paper roll with pork belly and preserved vegetables - 2004 Viña Seña

Signature roasted crispy chicken - 2000 Viña Seña

Wok-fried diced Wagyu beef with sliced garlic - 1999 Viña Seña   

Braised rice with black truffle and roasted duck

Walnut cream with aloe vera

Chinese Petits Fours

The wines:

2008 Viña Seña: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 20% Carmenère, 5% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot. 14.5% alcohol.  100% new French oak.  22 months ageing in oak.  Cassis, black cherry, blueberry, liquorice, eucalyptus, menthol, cedar, spices (nutmeg) and herbal.  A wine marked by elegance, with intense concentration and powerful complexity.  Very ripe but firm tannin, with a velvety and plush texture, with well-integrated firm acidity.   Made in a more opulent but approachable style than 2007.   A very long life ahead.  Drink from 2015 to 2030+.  This wine went very well with the pigeon leg stuffed with liver sausage!

2007 Viña Seña: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 20% Carmenère, 6% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. 14.5% alcohol.  100% new French oak.  22 months ageing in oak.  My favourite of the evening.  Beautiful spicy nose, with violet and blueberry notes and nuances of tobacco and minerality adding to complexity.  Showing lovely purity of fruit and a harmonious balance, with an elegant poise.  Drink from 2015 to 2030+.  Beautifully paired with the crispy paper roll with pork belly and preserved vegetables - a highly recommended dish, a real standout of the evening!

2004 Viña Seña: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Carmenère, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. 14.5% alcohol.  100% new French oak.  Spicy and toasted oak, black fruit, earthy and mocha.  Soft and rounded on the palate.  Drink now and for next 8 - 10 years. 

2000 Viña Seña: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.4% Merlot, 5.6% Carmenère.  14% alcohol. Maturation in French oak (92% new).  Total ageing in oak 18 months.  A much cooler growing season, with more rain than in 1999 vintage.   A much more savoury, blackcurrnat leaf, fig, herbal and cigar box character on the nose and palate.  Soft rounded tannin structure, with lower acidity.  Didn't have the same concentration and intensity as 1999.  Drinking at peak and for another 3 - 4 years.

1999 Viña Seña: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 9% Carmenère.  14.2% alcohol.  A low yield and high quality year, with beautiful fruit.  Individually vinified.  Maturation in French oak (56% new).  15 months ageing after blending.   Blueberry, blackberry, cassis, with violet, tobacco, earthy, savoury and leather notes. Still showing a robust structure of velvety but still chewy tannin and vibrant acidity.  Plenty of energy still.  Drinking very well now, and for another 6 - 8+ years, with further development of tertiary character.   (This wine went so beautifully with the beef and black truffle rice dish!)

It was really interesting to taste these wines together, which almost tasted like they came from 5 different wineries.  I guess the winery is still relatively new and is still seeking a style it's comfortable with.  With the plantings coming of age and with the benefits from biodynamic viticulture settling in, the wine will be expected to become more complex and elegant with each vintage.  It will be very interesting to keep a stock of these wines to see how they will show in 5, 10, 15 and 20 years to come.  Diego said that the winery was less diligent about keeping a library of wine stock at the beginning, something that they have now remedied and hopefully this will mean that they will be able to learn more from the evolution of the wines.......



Crispy paper roll with pork belly and preserved vegetables

 The restaurant really did a great job with the food and service for the entire evening.  I highly recommend the crispy paper roll with pork belly and preserved vegetables, an innovative creation of a traditional dish, and the braised rice with black truffle and roasted duck, really delicious and great for pairing with wine.