How do you know if you had a 100% rated day? To us, it’s when we are having 100-points wine like Clos Apalta Valle de Apalta 2015.
It has been awarded perfect 100 points for both the 2014 and 2015 vintages by James Suckling. 2015 also received 95 points from Robert Parker and Wine Spectator. Naturally curious, we included this wine in our Chilean Wine Tasting flight.
Clos Apalta Valle de Apalta from Colchagua Valley of Chile may be lesser-known than Bordeaux’s Château Lafite Rothschild, Tuscany’s Sassicaia, or California’s Opus One. Still, no doubt, Clos Apalta is among the world’s greatest red wines.
Clos Apalta Winery
Clos Apalta Winery was founded in 1994 by Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and her husband Cyril de Bournet when they first arrived in Chile’s Colchagua Valley. If Marnier-Lapostolle’s name rings a bell, it’s for a good reason. Recall Grand Marnier orange-flavored liqueur? Yes, that family.
Alexandra, a member of the renowned family that produced high-quality spirits and wines for several generations, among the first realized Chile’s potential for producing world-class wines.
When Alexandra and Cyril arrived in Colchagua Valley estate, the property was already home to vines originating from pre-phylloxera rootstock brought from Bordeaux in the middle of the XIX century. The 30 hectares of land were planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere back in 1915.
In the following year, the estate was revitalized. Alexandra brought exceptional French winemaking practices to Chile and pioneered fine-quality wines from the region. Today it is Charles de Bournet Marnier Lapostolle, the seventh generation of the family heads the winery.
The winemaking team is led by Jacques Begarie, technical director and winemaker, with famous consultant Michel Rolland. He is intimately involved in the whole production of Clos Apalta.
In its relatively short history, the winery earned a highly-regarded reputation by consistently producing 90+ wines.
Clos Apalta Valle de Apalta 2015
Clos Apalta Valle de Apalta is produced from the grapes grown in certified organic and biodynamic vineyards of Colchagua Valley. Clos Apalta is a Bordeaux blend of 46% Carmenère, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Carmenère and Cabernet Sauvignon came from old vines planted in 1920.
The grapes were hand-harvested and hand-destemmed (berries removed from the stalks). The fermentation was done with native yeast in French oak barrels (5% new). Unfiltered wine was aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 26 months.
In the Glass
Clos Apalta Valle de Apalta 2015 has a vibrant deep ruby color. It opens up with aromas of cassis, ripe cherry, Kirsch liqueur, green leaf, red flowers, and smoke.
It’s a luscious, full-bodied wine with blackberry, cherry, ripe black currant, and green pepper flavors on the palate.
Finish
This fruit-forward velvety wine is balanced by substantial acidity and well-incorporated tannins. The finish is long and filled with dark fruit and chocolate. It’s ready to be enjoyed now and can age beautifully for decades.
As far as points go, we always take them with a grain of salt. More than a few times, we were surprised by the disconnect between the critic’s score and the wine’s quality.
Often we find James Suckling team a bit too generous. This time it seems that Wine Enthusiast (92) is way off, Robert Parker (95) is a bit too conservative, and we inclined to side with James Suckling’s assessment. We agree that it’s a 100 points wine.
Every step of the way in the production of Clos Apalta Valle de Apalta from the vine to the bottle was done at the First Growth Bordeaux wines level, if not above. And those wines may cost thousands of dollars.
To sum up, the Clos Apalta Valle de Apalta 2015 is a bargain at $120.
Should you buy it? Only if you want to try one of the top Bordeaux blends in the world and not obsessed with Bordeaux First Growth labels or don’t want to pay thousands for the status wine.