Valle de Apalta Red Blend

99 pts JS, 96 SA, this wine lives up to the hype.

Tremendous wine. When my brother served it to us blind, I initially thought Bolghieri, thinking it a weedy, rich Tuscan Cab, but then the weediness became a bit more apparent and he mentioned Carmenere and it all made sense. Lots of cassis on the nose too. To me it seems very Pauillac in the mouth, with lots of graphite/pencil lead and dry cassis extract. Long long finish. Tannins there to ensure several more years but very soft. Terrific wine.

The 2018 Clos Apalta is 64% Carménère, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot from Apalta, Colchagua, aged for 24 months in 85% new barrels. The ripe, complex, clear nose offers prune, blueberries and blackberries along with pepper, tobacco, rosemary, cigar box and a whiff of smoke. Creamy and broad in the mouth with good volume, a firm flow and contained structure. The tannins set the tone while the mellow freshness underlines the sugary profile. A genuine Michel Rolland wine made during a year of subtle flavors. (Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous, June 2022)

Impenetrable in colour - incredibly dark. Noticeably oaky as an initial impression, dusty amongst the red and blue berries but generally contained to begin with. The palate is full bodied with that oak influence - very polished. 46% Carmenere, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon,, 19% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. If tasted blind I would swear this was Cabernet Sauvignon dominant but when you realise that Carmenere has its origins in Bordeaux it makes sense. With more time in the decanter more cassis and blackberry coming through on that rich full bodied and brooding palate. Tannins resolving. Oak not as dominant as initially. James Suckling gave this 100 points and stated that this was South America’s greatest red wine, which is a big call. Interestingly Clos Apalta is owned and the wine is made by the French. Had my last bottle 117 weeks later on 26 July 2024 with similar notes. Red and black berry fruits on nose. Also earth, cinnamon and tobacco leaf. Interesting history of the grape Carmenere which is Bordeaux in origin and has thrived in Chile.

Honestly, after the two massive Bordeaux’s, this was hard to palate. It’s an even bigger wine! Instantly stood out as being from the new world to me due to the fruit quality, which was sort of glossy when compared to the Bordeaux’s. On the nose, ripe black fruits, liquorice, vanilla, capsicum, mint, tobacco, and a whiff of volatile acidity. For me, the flavours on the palate seemed a little one dimensional when compared to the nose (just creamy cassis from start to end), but it may well have been just closed at the time of my tasting. Again, like the other big wines of the night, I enjoyed the tannin structure the most, which was quite distinct, starting at the edge of the tongue before enveloping the inner walls of the gums. The finish was warm and undeniably long, but it doesn’t compare to the length of the 11’ Troplong Mondot. A JS 99-pointer, but a no-no for me. Probably needs heaps of cellaring to be palatable for me, that is if the fruit doesn’t dry out first.

The most Bordeauxy wine I’ve had not from Bordeaux. And the best I’ve had from South America. … must try more!!

Outstanding. No words

Beautiful flavor and color. Much higher percentage of Cabernet which is evident.

My "Best of Show" at James Suckling Great Wines of the Andes tasting in San Francisco. I can see why he gave it 100 points and why there was an enormously long line to taste it.

Intense and deep ruby , garnet tinged rim . Quite intensely fruited , cassis , spiced blackberry , blueberry . On the palate lots of cassis and blackcurrant character , blueberry notes , roasted pepper and touch of wood spice . High tannin , lots of grip , with just balanced acidity and alcohol . Quite dense and serious on the finish . Needs a bit more time to fully integrate but promising . Better in 5 years and will last well a further 5-10