An exceptional Carménère blend featuring barely ripe red fruits, balsamic notes, tapenade, chocolate, floral hints, and baking spices.
Producer
Clos Apalta
Region
Colchagua Valley, Rapel Valley
Country
Chile
Varietal Composition
48% Carménère, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot
Specifications
2017
Vintage
2037
Drink By
15
%
ABV
Vinification
Aged for 27 months in French oak (85% new), and bottled unfined and unfiltered
Occasional wine note
Wow! This is the best Carménère blend we've ever had. Barely ripe red fruits, with hints of balsamic, tapenade, chocolate, flowers and baking spices. There is a whole lot going on here. Brilliant!
What experts say about this wine
100
/
100
James Suckling
What a stunning nose of crushed berries, fresh flowers, sandalwood and light vineyard dust. Black olives, too. Very complex. Full-bodied with a beautiful, dense palate of blackberries, chocolate, walnuts and cigar box. Fantastic length and composure. The tannin just rolls over the palate. Very structured. The most classically structured wine ever from here. Goes on for minutes. Outrageous and so polished.
95
/
100
Wine Advocate
The 2017 Clos Apalta is the 20th vintage of this wine that was produced with a blend of 48% Carmenere, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot from organic and biodynamic certified vineyards on granite soils. It fermented with indigenous yeasts for four to five weeks, with manual punch-down of the cap, mostly in 7,500-liter French oak vats and 18% in new French barrique. Malolactic was in new French oak barrels, and the élevage lasted for 27 months in 85% new barrels and 15% second use. This is always a powerful, big and ripe wine that is regularly 15% alcohol, reflecting a warm and ripe place. The 2017 is no exception, perhaps a riper and more powerful wine than the 2016. It's still very young and marked by the élevage, with abundant balsamic aromas and notes from the wood—spice and smoke with an ashy touch. It seems quite marked by the character of the Carmenere. The tannins are quite round and polished, and the flavors are pungent and powerful. It's a full-bodied wine to age in in bottle and enjoy in its 10th birthday with powerful food.
pairing recommendation
Lamb
Pork
Duck
Stews & Soups
Eggplant
Peppers
Hard Cheeses
Mushroom
100
2017 Clos Apalta Valle de Apalta XX Anniversary Vintage
750
ml
members only
Free Shipping on orders $300+
Carménère
Colchagua Valley
,
Chile
750
ml
Vivino Rating
4.1
Free Shipping for orders $300+
91
Carménère
Aconcagua Valley
,
Chile
750
ml
Vivino Rating
4.3
Free Shipping for orders $300+
95
Carménère
Colchagua Valley
,
Chile
750
ml
Vivino Rating
4.6
Free Shipping for orders $300+
100