Clos Apalta Le Petit Clos 2017

Drink now or cellar for up to 13 years. No need to decant before serving.

Set in the pristine Colchagua Valley not far from the Andes Mountains, Chile’s remarkable Clos Apalta is one of South America’s finest wineries. The property was purchased by Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and husband Cyril de Bournet in 1994 after they discovered the historic vineyards first planted here in the early 1900s. Today the estate is home to many of the world’s oldest ungrafted Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere vines; 16 out of their 48 hectares date back to between 1915 and 1940.

These venerable vines have helped put the estate on the map for exceptional red wines, with their 2005 Clos Apalta bottling being the only South American wine to be named Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year. Le Petit Clos is considered to be the younger brother to their flagship Clos Apalta wines, with greater approachability in youth and a more vibrant, fruit-forward flavour profile.

The cuvee is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere along with a dash of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Once in the winery the fruit is fermented in 75 hectolitre casks followed by 6 months of ageing in new French oak barrels. The wine is then transferred to used barrels for a further 16 months of maturation before bottling. The result is a powerful and youthful red that’s bursting with ripe dark berries, damsons, and mulberries. On the palate there’s a full body, firm tannins, and long finish seasoned with spice and tobacco leaf.