Intense nose of iodine, oyster shell, lead pencil, and blackcurrants. Full-bodied with ripe tannins that melt into the wine. It’s bigger than some and coming into its own. This is really something. 73% cabernet sauvignon, 24% carmenere and 3% cabernet franc. Drink now or hold.

Impressive in every way. The color shines an irridescent ruby, while the bouquet is massive, an amalgamation of fresh-cut cedar, pencil lead and lush berry fruit. Ripe as can be and balanced, with plushness and depth you don't normally find. Finishes round and creamy, with vanilla and liqueur notes. Does not require cellaring but should hold for up to 10 years.

Quite ripe, with braised fig, stewed plum, black currant paste and cherry preserve notes backed by roasted coffee and bacon notes. A tarry edge drives through the very lush finish. Shows more raw power than freshness, but still quite packed and in need of more unwinding. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Cabernet Franc.--Non-blind Viña Almaviva vertical (January 2011). Drink now through 2016. 10,000 cases made. –JM

I was pretty surprised by the nose of the 2003 Almaviva because I was expecting a very ripe wine, and the nose was not; it showed some notes of beef blood and fresh meat. It was a different era for wines, and here there was more concentration, 100% new oak, and there is more extraction, the palate shows more powdery tannin. This was 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenere and 3% Cabernet Franc. I think this one should be consumed before the 2002, as the fruit is receding and the structure might remain. This is a little atypical within the style of Almaviva, more of a blockbuster that ironically enough seems to be evolving at a faster pace. - Luis Gutiérrez