2021 Le Petit Clos (Clos Apalta)
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Le Petit Clos is composed of 68% Carménère, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, aged in 50% new oak. It features black and red fruit with a distinct floral bouquet, contrasting with the more savory and woody Clos Apalta bottling, and develops additional spice-driven notes after a brief time in the glass. The palate is smooth, creamy and seductive, culminating in a lush and drying finish framed by fine-grained, extracted tannins and a hint of mineral lift. Within the Clos Apalta range, the Le Petit Clos bottling foregrounds its origins and varietal composition a touch more than the more comparatively lavish grand vin, which, to my palate, makes for a close gap between the two.
Critic scores
Average Score
Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
More reviews and scores
High Carmanère for the blend of this wine, in a cooler vintage coming both from the flattlands and the hillsides, so expect fresh tomato leaf and white pepper spice, with excellent grippy tannins with a lean character to the fruit, spiced plum laced with white pepper. A touch of heat appears on the back of the throat. 3.56ph. Andrea Léon technical director, 37% new oak for ageing.
A nice touch of baked cherries and dark chocolate to the deep blackberry fruit. Ink and a touch of graphite and dried herbs. Full-bodied and pretty powerful with fine-grained tannins and a long, extensive finish. 68% carmenere, 16% cabernet sauvignon,15% merlot and 1% cabernet franc. Give it two more years to let the fruit settle more. Drink or hold.
Embracing a Bordeaux-style approach, Le Petit Clos is the second wine of Clos Apalta. The 2021 Le Petit Clos combines 68% Carménère, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, all sourced from the Apalta Vineyard in Colchagua. Displaying a purple hue in the glass, it exhibits a ripe character mellowed by the fresh nature of the vintage. It offers plum and blackberry aromas along with bay leaf, boldo and menthol hints over an ashy marmalade core. Indulgent, plush and rich on the palate, the soft and overwhelming mouthfeel lingers long with a precise, juicy and slightly refreshing personality. The 2021 vintage is indeed a standout for Clos Apalta.
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.