It was a pleasure to interview Michel Friou, winemaker of Almaviva in San Francisco on his visit in June 2016. He has a rich experience beginning with completion of education at Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Montpellier in France. He has spent time honing in on his winemaking skills the Loire Valley, Languedoc, and Bordeaux at Chateau Margaux. Michel has been Almaviva since 2007 making beautiful Bordeaux blends. I had the privilege of tasting the 2012 vintage which is Cabernet Sauvignon: 65%, Carménère: 24%Cabernet Franc: 8%, ,Petit Verdot: 2% and Merlot: 1%. I loved this Bordeaux blend as the Carménère, a Bordeaux variety, is showing the complexity this variety adds to the blend as well as the fine fruit coming from Puente Alto in Maipo. I don’t often get to do in person interviews and I very much enjoyed meeting Michel

Almaviva is a partnership of Concha y Toro and Baron Philippe de Rothschild.