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Wine: Casa Lapostolle - Clos Apalta
Vintage:
1997
Region: Chile - All Chile - All Chile
Varietal: Merlot
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First the case itself is beautifully made, wooden and can be opened like a backgammon set, second the bottles individually wrapped are also quite pretty, someone put a bit of thought in the design details.
But all this would be for nothing if the wine itself was not good. Very aromatic with a nice purple color, the taste is unmistakeably merlot but unlike any merlot I've ever tasted. Very structured and fruity. Very long finish, this wine can keep for at least 5-6 years, it is as I said one of the best I tasted lately |
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| Uncorked to a dense boquet of red fruit. Color is young -almost purple. Initally this wine had a Shiraz-like mouth feel with dense volume and a caressing texture. Scott's description of overripe red cherries is on the money. Moca, chocolate and carmel accent beefy, Parkerized-style. Initally there is an unmistakable sense of concentration which I found appealing albeit new-world. This density did mellow out a bit after decanting for 1 hour and the structure of this wine emerged. This is definitely a baby! The tannin and alcohol are well concealed by the fruit early on, again reference to the '98 Southern Rhone vintage from a textural perspective. Sipping the wine now about 2 hours after decanting reveals a different animal. Much more balanced and hinting at European design. The in-your-face fruit has backed off making me hopeful that this wine will have a nice future. |
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| Huge nose immediately on opening of mocha, blackberry an cherry. Dark purple, opaque. Silky smooth, low acid, round and fat on the palate. Essence of Merlot, chocolate cherries. This is a rich, dense and extracted wine with intensity and broadness and a healthy finish. If we're trying to find the definition of silky tannin, here it is. Only the die-hard lovers of finesse and subtlety will fail to be impressed, as this is a Parker-styled power wine. It is well-balanced, though, and everything is in place. Amazing to me that this relatively obscure little estate has managed to run right past virtually all of Napa Merlot in its brief existence. For Merlot fans, it shouldn't be missed, gives me reason to explore further in South America. A thank you to Bages for pointing it out. |
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| Very opaque, inky-purple color. A very rich and fruity aroma, with prominent mint notes. On the palate: simply exquisite. A very lush wine with layers and layers of sweet purple/black fruits, chewy tannins, and a very long and complex finish. 91-93+ pts. |
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