Clos Apalta 2015 is a monumental wine from Chile, a blend of 46% Carménère, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. It showcases deep, complex aromas of ripe black fruits like cassis and blackberry, intertwined with hints of liquorice, cinnamon, and a touch of fig. On the palate, it delivers an intense, creamy attack with velvety tannins and a long, elegant finish. This full-bodied, biodynamically grown wine is rich, polished, and refined, with a superb balance of freshness and power.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 100
Published: Feb 17, 2018

There is a subtle complexity on the nose with currant, berry, fresh herb and wet earth aromas. Cut fresh flowers, too. Full body, dense and powerful. Incredible character here with such purity and polish. It goes on for minutes. Formed, sculptured yet soulful. A monumental wine for Chile. Unbelievable. More powerful than the 2014 which was 100 points. A blend of 46% carmenere, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Made from biodynamically grown grapes. Better in 2022.

The Wine Advocate | RP 95
Published: Sep 6, 2018
Drink: 2018-2030

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.

Clos Apalta is now a completely separate project from Lapostolle, with its own vineyards and vineyard and winemaking team led by Jacques Begarie. They sell their wines, a first red and a second red, in the manner of Bordeaux and behave like a Bordeaux property in all senses.

Decanter | D 95
Published: Exciting Chilean wines: Colchagua producers to watch
Drink: 2018-2030

Intense aromas of baked earth, liquorice, spice, cassis and blueberry. Tightly wound, rich palate which is sleek, polished and shows fine-grained tannins. This opulent and dense wine has polished oaking and a focused finish.
Closure: Natural Cork
Alcohol: 15.00%
Body: Full
Oak: Oaked
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon Carménère Merlot

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 18
Published: Jun 25, 2024
Drink: 2022–2035

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. 

Closapalta.com

2015 Tasting Notes
COLOR
Deep ruby red color with purple edges.

NOSE
Complex nose opening towards ripe black fruit such as cassis, balckberry and fig, along with nuts, cinnamon and liquorice notes.

PALATE
Intense creamy attack with black fruit flavors. Long lasting velvety tannins. Intense and elegant finish.

Vintage Report
APPELATION
Apalta Valley, Colchagua, Chile.

BLEND
46% Carmenère, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.

HARVEST
Organic certified vineyards by CERES (Germany). Biodynamic certified vineyards by DEMETER (Germany). Carmenère and Cabernet Sauvignon Pre-filoxera old vines planted in 1920 not grafted. Morning sun leaf removal and green harvest to fine tune yields. 100% hand harvested from March the 9th until May the 5th.

GROWING CONDITIONS
Winter 2014 was considered as rainy in Apalta, with higher temperatures compared to the previous season, moving from a minimum of 4,5°C to 14,7°C maximum. This translate into 0.5°C more than the 2014 period. Spring 2014 had moderate temperatures allowing good bud break and blooming, been both very homogeneous. Summer was more temperate than usual, with some heat waves that lasted for 5 consecutive days in January. This season Colchagua registered the higher growing degree days’ sum of the last three periods, due mainly to the high temperatures registered towards the end of summer, made of March the warmest of the last decades. However, grapes showed excellent quality when picked with a good aromatic expression and good tannic structure.

VINIFICATION
100% hand de-stemmed in our Clos Apalta Winery. 100% native yeast. 95% fermented in French oak vats of 75 Hl and 5% in new French oak Bordeaux barrels. Skin contact up to 5 weeks. 100% of the blend in 225 lts new French oak barrels for 26 months. Not fined, cold stabilized or filtered. Bottled from July 3rd to 7th, 2017.