Another of the Chilean joint venture success stories; Sena is the fruit of Eduardo Chadwick, owner of Viña Errazuriz in Chile, and the late, great, Robert Mondavi. Both visionary winemakers, Chadwick and Mondovi were among the first to fully understand Chile’s potential as a wine region, leading the way for many others to follow suit.

With Bordeaux and Burgundy dominating much of the fine wine scene in the late 20th century, the idea of creating a Chilean icon wine seemed far fetched. While undoubtedly the terroir of the Aconcagua Valley north of Santiago was ripe for production of something far superior than the cheap’n’cheerful plonk that Chile was known for, savoir faire was thin on the ground. Enter Robert Mondovi. A longtime friend and respected colleague of Chadwick’s, together they decided to create Sena, a wine that would soon change the face of Chilean winemaking forever. That was in 1995. The first vintage was released in 1995 to excellent scores, up to the mid-90s in some cases.

However, the real turning point came during the Berlin blind tasting session of 2004 (2001 vintage). Sena came second overall (being narrowly beaten by its sister wine, Viñedo Chadwick 2000), beating the heavyweights such as Châteaux Lafite, Margaux and Latour. The complex blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot was a success, and Sena became a household name. Chadwick and Mondovi presented the wine again and again at other blind tastings and the results were unanimous. Sena was here to stay. Shortly before his death in 1997, Robert Mondovi sold his share to Chadwick, allowing him to take control of 100% of the empire.

Sena is today classed in the top 10 of Chile’s most expensive wines. Extolled as an alternative to the omnipresent Bordeaux and Super Tuscans, Sena’s ageing potential is superb, yet surprisingly is one also of the cheapest iconic wines on the market (June 2019 prices of an average of €125 bottle on wine-searcher.com). Bottles of the now mythical 2001 vintage are a rarity, and something of a superstar in the fine wine world, with demand far outsrtipping supply.