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Almaviva 2016
RedChile2016
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2019-11-13 · Published 2026-09-04 · Updated 2026-09-04
At a glance
In one line
4.5/5 — the same as Vivino's 4.5 average · world avg price US$150 · Chile's own 'first growth', made jointly by Rothschild and Concha y Toro.
James Suckling 97 · Wine Spectator 95 · Wine Advocate 94 · JancisRobinson.com 17.5/20 (critic reviews as listed on Vivino, tasted 2018)
Market note: The 2016 is nearly sold through overseas; the 2021 vintage sits around US$166 (wine.com). Korea still has 2016 stock on shelves.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“Strong pepper.”
What I learned today: even a two-word note can keep one aroma exactly.
Today at Bar Suda I was poured Almaviva 2016. One breath, and a whole evening came back: late autumn when I was twenty-one, cold rain on the window, the kitchen table. Pepper first, sharp in the nose, then blackberry, cassis, oak, chocolate. Every aroma is clear; what I don't know is which bottle Father poured that evening with the label covered. What I remember is that this red glass came after the Champagne glasses with their rising bubbles were cleared away, and that Father gave a short laugh the moment he put his nose to it.
Master Seo told me what the aromas say: people who drink this bottle name oak, vanilla and chocolate most (2,082 times), but among the spices pepper comes first (181). Then the story. In 1997 Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Mouton Rothschild and Chile's Concha y Toro founded the winery as equal partners. The name comes from Count Almaviva in Beaumarchais' play The Marriage of Figaro, and the round emblem on the label is the kultrun, a Mapuche drum. The vineyard lies in Puente Alto, about 650 m up in the foothills of the Andes.
Father left two words: "Strong pepper." Probably pepper reached his nose first that evening too. Just like mine.
What I learned today: even a two-word note can keep one aroma exactly.
What this wine is
Almaviva is a joint venture founded in 1997, funded half-and-half by France's Baron Philippe de Rothschild (owner of Château Mouton Rothschild) and Concha y Toro, Chile's largest wine company. The name comes from Count Almaviva in Beaumarchais's play The Marriage of Figaro, and the circular motif on the label is a stylized kultrun, the ceremonial drum of Chile's indigenous Mapuche. The first vintage was 1996. Think of it as the Chilean re-run of what Opus One (Mouton × Mondavi) did in Napa.
The vineyard sits in Puente Alto, just southeast of Santiago in the Andean foothills at roughly 650 m above sea level. It is gravelly alluvial soil on the upper Maipo River, the source of Chile's finest Cabernet (Don Melchor and Viñedo Chadwick are neighbours). Around 85 ha yield roughly 200,000 bottles a year, and Frenchman Michel Friou has been technical director since the 2008 vintage.
The 2016 is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenère, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, aged 16 months in new French oak. That year the spring was colder and wetter than usual, which cut cluster counts; the summer was especially hot and dry in December and February; and heavy rain in April (109 mm) forced an early harvest. Picking began with Merlot on 29 March and finished on 6 May, about two weeks ahead of the norm. The winery's own note lists raspberry and blackberry with toffee and coffee, 'a round, fresh texture and a finish of vanilla and pepper.'
What the world says
The critics: James Suckling 97 ('fresh fruit and herbs, medium-to-full body with a tight, focused structure'), Wine Spectator 95 ('elegant, powerful and well-knit, with black fruit, dried red fruit and spice'), Wine Advocate 94 ('earthy, damp-forest nuances, herbs, soft and powdery tannins'). Jancis Robinson 17.5/20. Among Almaviva vintages, 2016 is filed under the 'elegant' years. The Vivino average, which ran 4.6–4.7 from 2010 to 2015, slipping to 4.5 for 2016 reads to me as a year that chose finesse over power.
The 2,735 Vivino ratings are dominated by oak, vanilla, chocolate and tobacco, followed by blackberry and cassis, leather and earth, and then pepper (181 mentions), licorice and mint. Structure: intensity 4.6/5, tannin 3.5, acidity 3.0.
"Tasted blind. The cedar, tobacco and red bell pepper said Chile to me, and I guessed Almaviva. Dark chocolate, blueberry, cassis, cherry, leather. Went well with steak." — Vivino review, May 2024, 4.5 stars (55 likes)
"Cassis, blackcurrant, vanilla, mountain herbs, cocoa, leather. Tremendous concentration, velvety yet chewy tannins. Beautifully balanced." — Vivino review, Dec 2021, 4.5 stars
How I drank it
November 13, 2019, 4.5 stars. The note is two words: "Strong pepper."
Five of the sixteen bottles I logged that day got 4.5 — Almaviva, Veuve Clicquot, Two Hands Samantha's Garden, Alta Vista Serenade and Charles Dauteuil. I logged the same 2016 vintage twice more: 4 stars on January 10, 2025, and 4.5 again on March 11, 2026. Neither entry carries a note.
The three scores average 4.33, 0.17 below the community's 4.5; the critic numbers are James Suckling 97 and Wine Spectator 95. The pepper I wrote down matches the community's top spice keyword (181 mentions). The drinking window runs to 2036, so the next bottle will update the score again.
Where this wine shows up
Appears as the wine Issei Tomine deliberately throws over Maki Saionji's dress. The manga calls it a wine "as thick as blood", describing it as fiercely fiery with a raw, meaty vividness.
Kami no Shizuku wine list — volume 12 · Comic Gourmet — Kami no Shizuku vol. 12 wine list
The wine takes its name from Count Almaviva in Beaumarchais' play The Marriage of Figaro, the character Mozart later made famous in opera. The word Almaviva on the label is reproduced from Beaumarchais' own handwriting.
Almaviva official — History · Wine.com — Almaviva tasting note
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2016 vintage rating distribution (2735 ratings, average 4.5)
| 5★ | 1010 (37%) | |
| 4★ | 1575 (58%) | |
| 3★ | 116 (4%) | |
| 2★ | 16 (1%) | |
| 1★ | 18 (1%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Oak | 2082 | oak 449 · vanilla 414 · chocolate 368 · tobacco 283 · coffee 123 |
| Black fruit | 1662 | blackberry 473 · cassis 237 · blackcurrant 216 · plum 195 |
| Earth & leather | 803 | leather 251 · earth 137 · smoke 128 |
| Spice | 591 | pepper 181 · licorice 140 · mint 90 · eucalyptus 40 |
| Red fruit | 358 | cherry 166 · raspberry 44 |
| Floral | 109 | violet 61 · lavender 19 |
Structure: Intensity 4.6/5 · Tannin 3.5/5 · Acidity 3.0/5 · Sweetness 1.9/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 55993 ratings, average 4.6)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 4.7 | 4138 |
| 2011 | 4.6 | 3516 |
| 2012 | 4.6 | 3895 |
| 2013 | 4.6 | 3721 |
| 2014 | 4.6 | 3629 |
| 2015 | 4.6 | 3452 |
| 2016 | 4.5 | 2735 |
| 2017 | 4.6 | 2330 |
| 2018 | 4.6 | 1612 |
| 2019 | 4.5 | 1283 |
| 2020 | 4.5 | 1144 |
| 2021 | 4.4 | 854 |
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Almaviva?
The flagship of a joint-venture winery founded in 1997 by the Rothschild family of Mouton Rothschild and Chile's Concha y Toro. It is a Bordeaux-style red built on Cabernet Sauvignon from Puente Alto, Chile, blended with Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and one of the country's defining 'icon wines'.
What was the 2016 vintage like?
A cold, wet spring reduced yields, the summer was hot and dry, and April rain pushed the harvest two weeks earlier than usual. It is rated a vintage of elegance rather than power, with 97 points from James Suckling and 95 from Wine Spectator.
Is it ready to drink now?
Yes. Vivino's suggested window is 2021–2036. In 2019 the pepper and fruit leapt out; by 2026 the leather, tobacco and cassis had knit together. I'd decant it one to two hours before drinking.
How much does it cost?
Overseas retail runs US$150–170. Recent vintages (2020–2022) circulate alongside 2016 stock, so check the vintage on the label before buying.
What food does it pair with?
Vivino suggests beef, veal, poultry and pasta. With its firm tannin and pepper-and-tobacco aromatics, it is especially good with charcoal-grilled steak, lamb chops and anything cooked with plenty of pepper.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Viña Almaviva — 2016 vintage technical note (PDF)
- Wine.com — critic scores and notes (Suckling 97, WS 95, WA 94)
- JamesSuckling.com — Almaviva vertical tasting report (winery background)
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