Clos Apalta 2014 is a benchmark Chilean red and one of the estate’s most celebrated vintages, awarded 100 points by James Suckling. A powerful yet refined blend of Carmenère, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, it shows intense aromas of black fruits, herbs, graphite and spice, with remarkable depth and precision. The palate is rich and silky with ultra-fine tannins, vibrant acidity and a long, elegant finish shaped by 28 months in new French oak. Complex, structured and beautifully balanced, this iconic wine is drinking well now and will continue to evolve gracefully for decades.

James Suckling | JS 100
Published: Feb 17, 2018

This was the first 100-point wine from here with such aromas of fresh herbs and dark berry and floral undertones. Hot stone character. Full body, very linear and ultra-fine tannins. The precision and perfection here is impressive, as it has always been. A blend of carmenere, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Drink or hold.

Decanter | D 95
Published: Feb 16, 2024
Drink: 2024-2037

A 10-year-old library release - the third in a row for Clos Apalta with 'Vinothèque on the label differentiating this release (ex-estate in 2022) from the original in 2016. Black fruits on the nose, cool and fresh with dried herbs and graphite minerality - lovely complexity with lots of fragrant aromas. Thick and filling on the palate, a round wine, not heavy, juicy but concentrated and full of life. This has substance, not muscle, it’s chiselled but this carries some power. You can smell the richness in the full fruit. It has a nice frame though, settles around the mouth with good persistence from start to finish. Feels like it has more life left, but there is a sense of heat and oak around the edges, spiced and a touch imposing on the finish although great acidity keeps the lift. I like the expression, cool and fresh yet still determined. Ageing 28 months in 100% new French oak, 225 litre barrels. 3.66pH.

The Wine Advocate | RP 93
Published: Nov 1, 2018
Drink: 2018-2024

The 2014 Clos Apalta is composed of 48% Carmen?re, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot and has lots of tannins and some astringency. It really suffers when compared with the 2015, which feels longer and has a different quality of tannins, but I prefer both to the 2013. This matured in 100% new French oak barrels for 26 months. 62,388 bottles were filled in June 2016.

Jancis Robinson | JR 19+
Published: May 28, 2024
Drink: 2022-2044

48% Carmenère, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot. Aged for 28 months in 100% new French oak. 
Stunning nose: there's a quality to the fruit that is so distinctive and characterful. It has lovely mossy earthiness too, almost more mature than the 2012 – although the structure is certainly firmer. Attractive charred-meat character adds an animal complexity. Another superstar vintage for this wine.

Closapalta.com

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 snd creamy attach with black fruit flavors. Long lasting velvety tannins. Intense and elegant finish.

VINTAGE REPORT
APPELATION
Apalta Valley, Colchagua, Chile.

BLEND
48% Carmen?re, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot.

HARVEST
Organic certified vineyards by CERES (Germany). Biodynamic certified vineyards by DEMETER (Germany). Carmen?re 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 7th March until 16th May 2012.

GROWING CONDITIONS
The 2014 growing season is characterized by a spring with low temperatures, and a summer with normal hot & dry conditions. The 2013 winter was exceptionally cold and dry (118mm vs 237mm of rain). The bud break was 10 days late and the dry weather followed over the springtime. Finally march brought normal conditions, but the fall came with a cold April. The grape lost early its vegetal flavors and was technically ready to make wine, but we had to wait for the aromatic and phenolic ripeness. The ripening process was slow, because of the normal fall characteristics: lower temperatures and shorter days. The cold nights of April allowed us to preserve a good level of acidity and fruit expression. So finally, the challenge during this 2014 season was to wait for each desired phenolic maturity.

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 28 months. Not fined, cold stabilized or filtered. Bottled in June 2016, 5,199 cases of 12 bottles.