Sena 2020 (RP97)

The 2020 Sena is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 7% Petit Verdot (a little higher in search of acidity) from grapes harvested early, the second week of March, and fermented mostly in stainless steel and 10% in concrete eggs. It has a moderate 13.5% alcohol and good freshness. It’s subtle and layered, not only fruit but with more spice, it has polished tannins and very integrated oak after 22 months in barrique, 78% new, and with 10% of the volume in large Stockinger barrels. The warmer years seem to be nicely managed, so that it’s not reflected in the ripeness but is more a matter of texture and quality of the tannins, in the warmer years, like 2017 or this 2019, the wines have a little more grip, but these are definitely finer than those from the 2017 vintage. This wine has intensity and complexity, with no mintiness or herbal notes, it’s spicy and juicy, with energy and depth. It has structure, color, stuffing and acidity to develop nicely in bottle. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022. I tasted the 2020s from Sena, as there is now a second wine, Rocas de Sena. 2020 had a very warm spring, while the summer was milder but with a warm end of the season, but they harvested in March. It wasn’t as warm as 2017, but it’s considered a warm year, and yields were higher, so the ripeness is more contained. The key to the vintage was availability of water: because it was a very dry year, those that had their own reservoirs were better off, and then the harvest date in April was extremely warm. 2020 was warmer than 2019, perhaps a finer and more elegant version of 2017, more in the style of 2012. The wines are now sold through the Bordeaux négoce.