| Producer | Clos Apalta |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Apalta Valley |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blend |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Sku | 04378 |
| Size | 750ml |
| ABV | 15.00% |
In 1994, the great-great-granddaughter of the inventor of Grand Marnier, Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle, arrived in Chile and discovered a plot of vines planted in the early 1900s on the old, dry, soils of Chile’s Apalta Valley. She fell in love with the potential to create great wine here, recruited super-consultant Michele Rolland to help, and soon began pulling down 99 and 100 point ratings for her flagship wine: Clos Apalta.
Today her son, Charles-Henri De Bournet Marnier Lapostolle, leads the winery and produces both the “big wine” and Le Petit Clos, an alternate interpretation of this unique site that emphasizes purity and finesse. Which somehow shines through even in one of Chile’s hottest, driest, vintages ever. Think Spottswood or Corison Cabenernet meets classically styled Right Bank Bordeaux and you’ll be in the right zip code. Delicious now for the fruit and purity, give it a long decant (or, better, 5 years in cellar) and enjoy how the fruit blooms and gains richness. Now and later, the finish is absurdly long. Very, very, highly recommended.
"A beautiful delivery of Petit Clos with spiced black cherries, cassis, olives and some red capsicums to the nose. Chalky tannins are densely packed on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Tight, structured and fine-grained. Very long. Drink or hold."
"The 2020 Blend Le Petit Clos is a mix of mostly Carménère and Cabernet Sauvignon from Apalta, Colchagua. Dark garnet red in hue. The complex nose offers plum jam, hints of sweet spice, herbs and pepper against a backdrop of cigar box, graphite and a whiff of violets. A ripe, broad, full-bodied red with precise acidity and a juicy, grippy flow, the finish is intense and complex."
"Bright, brooding and intense on the nose; dark, heady and ripe black fruits with spiced edges and a subtle florality. Smooth and succulent but punchy on the palate, tannins are silky and well integrated and do well to underpin the fruitiness and liveliness of the expression. As usual Carmenere is the star with 40% of the blend alongside 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Youthful and exuberant, the team kept leaves on the vines and natural cover crops to cope with the sunlight, heat and lack of water in 2020, and despite the 15% alcohol this has 3.59pH with acidity that lifts the palate and avoids any heaviness. Rich but sleek, this is full of red cherries, cedar spice, soft herbal touches and finishes with a menthol freshness that is lovely. Will improve with age but great for mid-term drinking to enjoy the fresh vibrancy."
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