Historic vertical tasting during its Biodynamic Centre Opening

SEÑA REVEALED THROUGH ITS 16 VINTAGES The three-day celebration was the first international event to take place at

Viña Seña, bringing together renowned wine personalities from around the world.

A panel of international experts participated in the highlight of the event: a vertical tasting of all Seña vintages, from 1995 through 2010.

(Chile, 31st October of 2012).- Viña Seña has just marked a new milestone in its history: the inauguration of its Biodynamic Centre, a pioneering step forward for our country in terms of being a place that was especially conceived of, designed, and built to give the biodynamic philosophy and agriculture of this wine an exclusive spot in the vineyards to conduct the proper practices and preparations according to biodynamic principles.

For the first time, this three-day celebration gathered the most renowned wine personalities from around the world at Seña’s biodynamically farmed vineyard; a group of approximately 140 importers, clients, wine collectors, top international and Chilean wine critics, and members of the trade.

The journey began on October 27, with the invitees enjoying the bounties of the Pacific Ocean in Viña del Mar before travelling to the foothills of the Andes Mountains to visit some of the extraordinary and diverse terroirs of the Valle de Aconcagua, enjoying superb wines along the way.

The highlight of the event, however, was Seña’s unprecedented vertical tasting, “Seña revealed through its 16 vintages”, conducted by a panel of international wine personalities at the Termas de Jahuel Hotel, on the morning of Monday, October 29. This open vertical tasting showcased Seña’s background and evolution over time by presenting all its vintages, 1995 through 2010, for the first time. This historic occasion was also chosen to present the latest release of Seña to the top Chilean and international press in attendance, receiving excellent critical acclaim.

Eduardo Chadwick and Seña’s 16 vintages.

The tasting was conducted by Chief Winemaker Francisco Baettig together with a select group of internationally renowned wine critics representing the different continents where Seña is present, including Jeannie Cho Lee MW, Asia’s first Master of Wine, Robert Joseph, founder of the International Wine Challenge competition worldwide and Chief Editor-at-Large of German Meininger’s Wine Business International Magazine, Michel Phaneuf, an eminence in the Quebec-Canada wine industry since 1977, and Jorge Lucki, recognized by the industry as the number one wine critic in Brazil. (see the Additional Information for their resumes)

This great experience allowed the participants a unique opportunity to form their own opinion about Seña’s intrinsic quality and ageing potential with a “panoramic overview” of its entire history. “This was a great opportunity –remarked Jeannie Cho Lee– for many wine professionals to judge and discover for themselves Seña’s ageing potential through older vintages and its evolution over time. The wines really expressed themselves!”

Coincidentally, Michel Phaneuf commented, “this tasting is demonstrating that there is no longer a real division between the so called New and Old World. What there really exist is more of a separation between fine wines and the rest of the wines… and these (Seña wines) clearly belong to the fine wines!”

“For me, this has been a great opportunity –stressed Robert Joseph– This exercise shows without any doubts, Seña’s true capability to evolve consistently along time. (…) There are wines, and then, there are wines that teach you all again…”

The International Panel and more than 100 attendees at the tasting.

At the end of the tasting, which was divided in two flights (from 1995 to 2002, and from 2003 to 2010), Seña vintages 2007, 2010 and 2001 resulted as the favourites of all participants. This, only after a long and in-depth discussion among all the attendees about each one, and how its evolution in time did showed magnificently through this tasting. There was a hot debate regarding vintages 1995, 1996 and 2010. Some participants even declared their two preferred were the first and the last releases of Seña. And one of the most important conclusions expressed by the audience was that this Chilean Icon wine was indeed making history with this exposition from its trajectory in time.

In words of Jorge Lucki, “to be able to present the whole 16 vintages of a wine, showing this ageing potential and extraordinary consistency among them along time, is really something. This is an exercise even not too many great wines in the world could actually perform. So it is a very bold, as well as unique experience.”

The emotions continued later in the day, with the Inaugural Ceremony at the Biodynamic Centre, in the form of a traditional sacred ritual of Chile’s indigenous nation as a demonstration of a very deep-rooted manifestation of Seña’s biodynamic philosophy that aims to show an authentic sense of origin.

Seña’s Team at the Biodynamic Center Opening.

This impressive performance was followed by a Gala Dinner at Seña’s Hilltop Mirador, under a remarkable clear sky and full moon, which included other high point of the event: a live concert by Los Jaivas, one of the most important and influential bands in Chile. Their songs “Aconcagua”, “Sube a nacer conmigo hermano” and “Todos Juntos”, were not only favourites of all guests, but also made the most perfect soundtrack for the closing of this memorable event. (look in Additional Information for more data)

Gala Dinner at Seña’s Hilltop Mirador.

Additional Information

About SeñaSeña is a unique Chilean blend made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon provides the structure while the Carmenere provides the Chilean terroir identity.

Following their intuition, in 1995 Robert Mondavi and Eduardo Chadwick pioneered Chile's first international joint venture, a bold and forward-thinking move in those times. They set a very challenging goal: to reach the full potential of Chile's wine country and to create a truly world-class wine.

Eduardo Chadwick and Robert Mondavi searched for four years before finding the ideal terroir in Chile's Valle de Aconcagua that spoke to their instincts. Seña is the culmination of their vision, an expression of consummate quality and character. These two distinguished traditional wine families—the Mondavis and the Chadwicks—both had a passion for excellence and innovation. Sharing their dream, efforts, and dedication, in 1997 they released the first vintage of Seña (1995), Chile's first Icon wine that marked a milestone and initiated the path for making Ultra Premium wines in Chile.

The beautiful Seña hillside property is located on the western side of the Valle de Aconcagua, 41 km from the Pacific Ocean. Seña's vineyard comprises 42 hectares and its design enhances the conservation and protection of the native ecosystems in accordance with the biodynamic principles under which it is farmed.

Biodynamic: the magic circle of a self-regulated eco-system Adopting the ancestral techniques and methods of the biodynamic philosophy means carefully observing and learning about the cycles of nature and the rhythms of the universe, focusing on preserving the cycle of fertility and biodiversity within the property, and having a deep respect for the process of nature in which the interaction of the flora and fauna is crucial. This also includes the science, physics, and mystique of making biodynamic preparations with specific plants and animal organs that are used to capture and reflect the different energies found in nature and the universe. Organic wastes from the vineyard and from animal manure are transformed into compost, which is used to fertilize the soil and help the plants’ roots capture the nutrients from the soil and the grapes to deliver that essence to the wine.

All of this helps the vineyard absorb important microelements, stabilize the nitrogen in the soil, absorb phosphorous, improve the health of the roots, and strengthen the plants’ immune system.

Biodynamics both teaches and reminds us that we need to treat our earth with respect, and only then can we continue harvesting the highest quality grapes for many generations to come.

The Quest for International RecognitionInspired by the 1976 Judgment of Paris organized by Steven Spurrier in which wines from California destroyed the myth of French supremacy, Eduardo Chadwick organized his own “Berlin Tasting”* on January 23, 2004. On that date Europe's most highly regarded wine journalists, writers, and buyers gathered in Berlin for a blind tasting of 16 wines. The line-up included much sought-after wines such as Château Lafite, Château Margaux, Château Latour, Tignanello, Sassicaia, and Solaia to be tasted beside Chadwick’s own top wines. The French wines chosen all belonged to the 2000 vintage and were rated 100 points by wine critic Robert Parker. The result was that Viñedo Chadwick 2000 and Seña 2001 took the top two spots in this blind tasting. Thus, the event was considered “an evolutionary milestone for the Chilean wine industry” and became a landmark for the recognition of Chilean wines worldwide.

Since then, The Berlin Tasting has been recreated more than 15 times in the most important wine capitals of the world, benchmarking the newly released vintages on each occasion. The outcomes have been very positive, and these Chilean wines always placed within the top five positions, thus contributing to Chile’s growing international recognition for the world-class quality of its terroirs and wines.

* For more details on the entire Berlin Tasting experience, please visit: www.theberlintasting.com

Showcasing Seña’s Ageing Potential:We continue to educate the public about our wines, and as a means of showing their world-class ageing potential, we recently launched the Seña Vertical Tastings. The idea behind these tastings is to showcase historic vintages, taking on what seems the toughest challenge, benchmarking them alongside the wines considered to be the best in the world.

Seña’s first vertical tasting tour in Asia** (in Hong Kong, Seoul and Taipei) held during October and November 2011 marked another milestone for Chilean wine by showing different vintages of Seña, including its very first release, 1995, side by side with their Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé counterparts. The results have been extremely favourable, and expert tasters consistently placed Seña at the top of their lists. This adds a new dimension to the appreciation of Chilean wines, revealing not only Seña’s world-class quality, but also its ability to age and evolve beautifully over time.

This initiative continued this year in Europe and China, with blind vertical tastings performed in London, Zurich and five major cities in China, including Shenzhen and Shanghai, in May and June. Once again, the results exceeded our expectations and Seña took the first place each time, receiving critical acclaim in the 10 tastings we have already performed, recognizing its evolution throughout its 17-year history.

** To learn more about Seña’s Vertical Tour in Asia, please visit: http://sena.cl/en/news_on.php?id=170

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The International Panel

Jeannie Cho Lee (HK): the first Asian Master of Wine and an award-winning author, wine critic, judge and educator. Jeannie is Contributing Editor for Decanter UK as well as a weekly columnist for Hong Kong's South China Morning Post and mainland China's China Business News. She is also a Wine Consultant for Singapore Airlines and Galaxy Macau. In 2009 Jeannie received the Vinitaly International Award for her contributions to the wine industry. (www.asianpalate.com )

Robert Joseph (UK): award-winning author of over 25 widely translated books including the Complete Encyclopedia of Wine. He launched Wine International Magazine and the International Wine Challenge competitions in the UK, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam, Russia, Poland, and India. He was the Wine Correspondent of the London Sunday Telegraph newspaper for 14 years and has been Editor-at-Large of Meininger’s Wine Business International since 2006. He is a director of DoILikeIt?, a consumer and professional wine insight company as well as of Hugh Kevin & Robert Wines which sells 1m bottles across the globe. (http://www.robertjoseph-onwine.com/ )

Michel Phaneuf (Ca): one of the most important figures in the Quebec wine scene since 1977. He published his first Wine Guide in autumn 1981. The 31st edition was published last year, making it one of the most successful in the history of publishing in Quebec. Over the years, he has participated in many radio and television programs, he was appointed chronicler of the wine news magazine L'actualité from 1986 to 2011, in addition to being frequently invited as a speaker to organizations and businesses. He is the host of prestigious annual charity event, Montreal Passion Vin. His influence in the field of wine has earned him and his guide numerous awards, including the 2004 Quebec Wine Ambassadors Award. (http://www.michelphaneuf.com/ )

Jorge Lucki (Bz): trained as a civil engineer, Jorge became known as the number one wine critic in Brazil for his ability to taste, analyse and recognize wines. Therefore, in addition to his professional career, he began to devote much of his time to wine as both consultant and columnist, and has tasted more than 10,000 white and red wines in over 20 years. Lucki teaches wine courses, travels to the major producing regions twice a year, and constantly works with restaurants and consults for importers. He writes columns for the Jornal Valor Economico newspaper and Prazeres da Mesa magazine, and is one of the participants in the Chilean Descorchados wine guide, among other activities. (http://prazeresdamesa.uol.com.br )

Chief Winemaker Francisco BaettigBorn in Santiago, Chile in 1969, Francisco joined Viña Seña as Chief Winemaker in 2003. He is an Agronomist Engineer with a degree from the University of Chile and a Master’s Degree in Oenology from the University of Bordeaux (Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieurs Spécialisées), through a scholarship awarded by the French government. Throughout his career, Francisco has participated in vintage seasons in France, in Languedoc-Roussillon, at Michel Laroche, in Pomerol at Le Bon Pasteur, one of the wineries owned by the renowned Michel Rolland, and in Sancerre at Château de Sancerre, reputed for its white wines. In the United States he worked at Hallcrest Winery, one of California’s first organically certified wineries. He also spent a year working in Argentina and has participated in numerous technical visits to New Zealand, France, Italy, Australia, Argentina, and United States.In Chile, he worked as Assistant Winemaker at Casa Lapostolle, before joining Viña Seña.

Los Jaivas

Los Jaivas, is often considered one of the most important and influential bands in Chile and South America. The group, with more than 40 years of uninterrupted career, is characterized by the exploration and fusion of different styles and highlighted for the combination of progressive rock with the Cueca, Chile’s national dance, and other typical and folkloric rhythms. This group became world-famous after putting music to some of Chilean Nobel-awarded poet Pablo Neruda’s most renowned poems –included in his book Canto General–, and recorded them for a television special concert in Machu Picchu in 1981. In July 2011, they re-edited the experience with a live concert in the heights of Machu Picchu, in order to celebrate the centenary of the discovery of these Inca ruins.

* For more information, please contact:

Verónica SteinbrüggeCommunications Managervstein@chadwickwines.cl