One of the World's Greatest Reds
Chilean Grand Cru: Clos Apalta 2019
- 99 Points, Rank #11 Top 100 of 2022, James Suckling
- 97 Points, Decanter
- 96 Points, Vinous
- 96 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
The 99-point 2019 Clos Apalta is nothing short of stunning—a Bordeaux-inspired blend that stands with any red wine in the world. But unlike wines at this level of quality in Bordeaux or Napa, it won’t set you back $500. In fact, you can put a six-pack in your cellar for the price of a single bottle from some of its peers.
Grown on biodynamically farmed vines with a century of age, crafted by 100-point maestro Michel Rolland, and given a no-expense-spared treatment in the cellar by one of the most committed winery owners in the world, “there’s no doubt that Clos Apalta is one of the world’s greatest red wines,” according to JamesSuckling.com.
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Was Wine Spectator's #1, #2, and #3 Wine of the Year! |
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Dear Artisans,
Here's your chance to purchase the latest offering from Chile's esteemed Clos Apalta. The 99-point 2019 Clos Apalta, just released earlier this month, is nothing short of stunning—a Bordeaux-inspired blend that stands with any red wine in the world. But unlike wines at this level of quality in Bordeaux or Napa, it won’t set you back $500. In fact, you can put a six-pack in your cellar for the price of a single bottle from some of its peers.
One of the oldest vineyards of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère in Chile, if not in the world, Clos Apalta is named for the unique location in which it sits. Protected from the elements and tucked away in the Colchagua Valley near the town of Santa Cruz, this clos, or enclosed vineyard, benefits from a distinct micro-climate, surrounded on three sides by the horseshoe shaped Andean foothills, and on the fourth side by the Tinguiririca River. The origins of the vineyard date back to the 1910s, when a visionary selected the Apalta Valley for its extraordinary terroir and planted the first vines using unique French massal selection.
In 1994 Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and her husband Cyril de Bournet first arrived in Chile’s Colchagua Valley and quickly realized its potential for producing world-class wines. This ideal setting was home to vines originating from pre-phylloxera rootstock brought from Bordeaux in the middle of the 19th century, and Michel Rolland was engaged to help bring the vineyard back to life.
Estate owner Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and her husband Cyril de Bournet have produced their flagship wine, the "Clos Apalta," with outstanding results every year since the wine's 1997 debut. The 2005 was Wine Spectator's 2008 Wine of the Year, and the winery has made numerous more appearances on top 100 lists, including this vintage ranking #11 on James Suckling's list for 2022. It has repeatedly garnered scores as high as 99 points, too. (Should you wish to read more details, please click HERE for Wine insider's article on this current release.)
This is an outstanding wine and will certainly age for decades to come, and only year or two from starting its drinking window, but we have only 37 bottles left—don't miss this!
Cheers,
—James Tran
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2019 Lapostolle Clos Apalta
Colchagua Valley, Chile
99 Points & #11 Top 100 of 2022 - James Suckling:
"A generous array of ripe black and blue fruit with pink peppercorns, green olives, dried flowers, toffee and chocolate orange. It’s full-bodied with firm, creamy and velvety tannins. Long and polished. Lovely salted caramel and olives at the end. Keeps going. Unfolds on the finish. 70% carmenere, 18% merlot, 8% cabernet sauvignon and 4% petit verdot. Drink or hold." (May 2022)
97 Points - Decanter:
"A dark, brooding nose with hints of smoked meat and figs. Juicy and intense, you get power and acidity and poise. There is lots of finesse in this wine, you feel the step up from the second wine in the detail of the slightly grainy but very present tannins and the sculpting of the fruit - blackcurrants, red cherries, plums and balsamic touches. A real stylish element to this, it's generous and giving but not too overtly. It's still rich and concentrated and you do get the 15% alcohol - but feels like they've taken the foot off the pedal slightly allowing the different elements to shine in their own right. Smooth and totally seductive, the texture and the lingering slightly chalky element stays on the tongue while the fruit lasts and lasts. A lovely wine. This has one of the highest percentages of Carménère ever at 70% with 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Aged 24 months in French oak barrels (90% new) followed by one year in bottle. Biodynamic." - GH (Aug 2022)
96 Points - Vinous:
"The 2019 Clos Apalta from Apalta, Colchagua, was aged for 24 months in 90% new French barrels. Dark purple in the glass. The complex, nuanced nose offers mild notes of mint, pyrazines, ash and ripe dark fruit such as blackberry and blueberry with hints of undergrowth and tobacco, cedar and other aromas from the aging process. In the mouth, it's indulgent and compact initially with refined, slightly reactive, young tannins, an expansive flow and a rich palate that delivers herbal flavors before the sustained, fruity finish. The good year has helped to enhance the depth of an already accomplished red with a well-proven ripe style." - JH (Jun 2022)
96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Coming from the Colchagua Valley region of Chile, the 2019 Clos Apalta is based on 70% Carménère, 18% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot that saw an extended maceration and aging in 90% new French oak. It's a legit brilliant wine, sporting a dense purple hue as well as complex notes of ripe black fruits, ripe herbs, graphite, spice box, and perfectly integrated oak. It has a solid herbal edge and is medium to full-bodied on the palate, with silky tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish."
95 Points - Robert Parker's WA:
The 2019 Clos Apalta was produced with a blend of 70% Carmenere, 18% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, extremely high in Carmenere and low in Cabernet Sauvignon in a ripe and warm year. It fermented with indigenous yeasts for four to five weeks, with manual punch-down of the cap, 67% in 7,500-liter French oak vats and 33% in new French oak barrels followed by malolactic in new French oak barrels. The élevage was 24 months in 90% new barrels and 10% second use. It's powerful, big and ripe, with 15% alcohol and a pH of 3.57. It's creamy and juicy, with very high ripeness and a notable absence of herbal notes; it's oaky, smoky and decadent, coming through as luxurious, round, lush and velvety. It's full-bodied and has abundant, small and powdery tannins. 103,944 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2021."- LG (Aug 2022)
95 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Balances muscle and grace in a complex package, with geranium and floral peppercorn-accented red currant notes up front, while the core is densely packed with blackberry and plum flavors that swirl around spiced chocolate details and swell with lively acidity. Ends with mineral twinges, firming tannins and a final wave of kirsch and chocolate. Carmenère, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2035."
Only 37 bottles left
Our Prices:
$129.97 btl (1-2)
$124.97 btl (3-5)
$119.97 btl (6-11)
$114.97 btl (12+)
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Both Have Ranked Above Opus One, First Growth Bordeaux Haut-Brion, Chateau Montelena & Sassicaia in Blind Tastings! (link for that article)
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"Incredible wine with blackberry, dried meat, granite, spice, and blueberry character. Full body, super velvety texture, yet incredibly fine and long. Such finesse and balance. Clearly the benchmark for syrah in South America. So gorgeous to drink now but will age beautifully."
97 Points, James Suckling
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