2005 Clos Apalta
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Tasting notes
42% Carmenère, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. Aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak. Bramble fruit and baking spices with charming black-cherry fruit and lots of grip on the palate. Much sprightlier (understandably) than the 1997, and still in its first flush. Lovely fruit quality – no hint of greenness – powerful and savoury, with great sophistication. Delicious tar and granite complexity. Very good indeed. (RH)
Critic scores
Jay S Miller, Wine Advocate
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The 2005 Clos Apalta Limited Release is composed of 42% Carmenere, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. Opaque purple-colored, the nose reveals notes of pain grille, mineral, spice box, and plummy black and blue fruits. This leads to a layered, nearly opulent wine with gobs of savory, spicy black fruits, excellent balance, and superb integration of oak, tannin, and acidity. It will evolve for 4-6 years and be at its best from 2013 to 2025. Casa Lapostolle is French owned by the proprietors of Grand Marnier. Importer: M?et-Hennessey USA, www.casalapostolle.com
Inky violet. Vivacious raspberry and candied cherry aromas are strongly underscored by coconut and vanilla, which gain strength with air. Broad, fleshy and sweet, offering an array of red and dark berry preserve flavors, soft tannins and sneaky minerality. Finishes long and with improbable energy for such a rich, concentrated and even liqueur-like wine. Not for those who demand finesse but fans of big-time Napa cabernet should give this a shot.
The 2005 Clos Apalta Limited Release is composed of 42% Carmenere, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. Opaque purple-colored, the nose reveals notes of pain grille, mineral, spice box, and plummy black and blue fruits. This leads to a layered, nearly opulent wine with gobs of savory, spicy black fruits, excellent balance, and superb integration of oak, tannin, and acidity. It will evolve for 4-6 years and be at its best from 2013 to 2025. Oct 2008, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2013-2025
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.
Product details
Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah / Shiraz, Carmenere, Merlot
Red
Dry