2015 Clos Apalta
Buying options
Tasting notes
46% Carmenère, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 26 months in 100% new French oak. Strong salinity on the nose here, lots of petrichor. Suppressed fruit. Less tannic heft than the 2014, making it more developed for drinking now, although it certainly has decades of bottle ageing to go. The most European of the vintages so far, it seems to me. (RH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
46% Carmenère, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Particularly deep crimson. Very heady and ripe on the nose but not aggressively sweet or alcoholic. On the palate it’s a little too sweet for my taste. The acid and tannin creeps in rather aggressively on the finish, as does the alcohol. Unintegrated at the moment with rather a pinched finish. (JR)
Despite the warm and dry character of the year, I find the 2015 Clos Apalta, a blend of 57% Carménère, 26% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, to be less marked by the Carménère and with more integrated oak and better freshness. There is more Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It's spicy and herbal while ripe and powerful, full-bodied and with plenty of dusty tannins. It has a strong personality, and I find more balance here. 73,452 bottles produced.
The 2015 Clos Apalta Vinothèque blends 46% Carménère, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. After a decade, it shows clear signs of evolution, with green pepper, ripe black fruit and oak aromas giving way to a soft touch of dried fig. It is mature on the palate, with firm structure, integrated grip and a bittersweet chocolate note lingering on the finish.
About the producer
Chile’s Clos Apalta is arguably South America’s most successful estate, garnering praise from the world’s leading wine critics and connoisseurs. The 2005 vintage was named Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year – the only South American wine to do so – and the wines continue to impress.