Clos Apalta Le Petit Clos 2020 is the vibrant and expressive second wine of Clos Apalta, showcasing the richness and distinctive character of Chile’s Apalta Valley. A blend of 40% Carmenère, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, it offers ripe black cherry, cassis and dark berries layered with violets, herbs, cedar and warm spice. The palate is rich yet beautifully balanced, with silky, chalky tannins, refreshing acidity and a long, menthol-tinged finish.

James Suckling | JS 95
Published: Apr 24, 2023

A beautiful delivery of Petit Clos with spiced black cherries, cassis, olives and some red capsicums to the nose. Chalky tannins are densely packed on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Tight, structured and fine-grained. Very long. Drink or hold. 

The Wine Advocate | RP 93
Published: Aug 31, 2023
Drink: 2024-2030

The second wine from Clos Apalta, the 2020 Le Petit Clos, was produced with the grapes from younger vines and in a different proportion than in the grand vins; it's a blend of 40% Carmenere, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot from their granite soils in the warm Apalta valley from a warm and ripe year. The wine has the lush and ripe signature, with 15% alcohol, decadent and showy, with a nose of violets and camphor, ripe berries, herbs and spices and integrated oak. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, with five to six weeks of maceration, manual punch-downs and malolactic in French oak barrels. The élevage was 26 months in 53% new oak and 47% second use oak. It has the velvety tannins from a warm vintage—fine-grained and abundant—with a long finish with a bitter twist. 77,580 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2022. 

Decanter | D 93
Published: Aug 1, 2023
Drink: 2025-2035

Bright, brooding and intense on the nose; dark, heady and ripe black fruits with spiced edges and a subtle florality. Smooth and succulent but punchy on the palate, tannins are silky and well integrated and do well to underpin the fruitiness and liveliness of the expression. As usual Carmenere is the star with 40% of the blend alongside 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Youthful and exuberant, the team kept leaves on the vines and natural cover crops to cope with the sunlight, heat and lack of water in 2020, and despite the 15% alcohol this has 3.59pH with acidity that lifts the palate and avoids any heaviness. Rich but sleek, this is full of red cherries, cedar spice, soft herbal touches and finishes with a menthol freshness that is lovely. Will improve with age but great for mid-term drinking to enjoy the fresh vibrancy. Ageing 26 months in 225l French oak barrels, 53% new, 42% two years old. From this vintage, the bottles are now made in Chile and are 10% lighter in a bid to increase sustainability. WInemaker Andrea Leon.

Jancis Robinson | JR 16
Published: Feb 7, 2024
Drink: 2024-2027

Full bottle 1,163 g. Certified sustainable (HVE). A blend of Malbec and Merlot. 
I like the clarity of fruit and subtle gentleness that Merlot brings to the blend. It makes the wine tastes and feel like less of a fist fight. The tannins are less astringent, the wine is much more supple. Blackberry and liquorice root. Not long, but more accommodating and approachable than the varietal Malbecs. Tamlyn Currin