Clos Apalta 20th Anniversary Red Blend 2017
- js100
- wa95
- ws92
Category | Red Wine |
Varietals | |
Brand | Clos Apalta |
Origin | Chile, Colchagua, Apalta Valley |
Other vintages
James Suckling
- js100
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. A blend of 48% carmenere, 26% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Try after 2025.
Wine Advocate
- wa95
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. 90,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2019. Drink Date: 2022-2030.
Wine Spectator
- ws92
Suave and filled with concentrated currant, red plum and cherry flavors backed by crunchy acidity and fresh tannins. Minerally in the midpalate, with savory richness lingering on the finish with cocoa powder and herbal accents. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2025. 6,005 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.