LAPOSTOLLE 2021 "APALTA"

We're 'on the road' to Chile this month for our Wine of the Month 2-- and the end goal is so worth the trip! You may recognize the name Lapostolle (formerly known as Casa Lapostolle) as we have enjoyed and featured these Chilean wines for many years. We are especially thrilled that the fruit is sourced from the Apalta vineyard-- we have enjoyed many a wine from Clos Apalta so were not surprised to discover how rich and ripe the fruit is nor how much depth of flavor and overall balance this wine possesses. APALTA VINEYARD Apalta is not an enclosed valley. It is lodged between the Tinguiririca River, a tributary of the Rapel River, and cordons of the Coastal Cordillera that ends in a "horse shoe" shape. Both form on the east and west a barrier that delays the arrival of the sun in the morning and attenuates the exposure to the sunlight in the evening. That position permits a good regulation of the sunshine, escaping the excess heat that is well known in hot climates. Thanks to the hills that surround the vineyard, the old vines located in the lowest part of the field receive underground water that provides sufficient natural water supply during almost the whole growing season. Apalta vineyard was planted with Carmenre, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Syrah from 1920 to 2006. Some of the oldest blocks planted in 1920, have vines that were brought from France at the end of the 19th century. ANTONIO GALLONI, VINOUS 93 POINTS - "The 2021 Red Blend Apalta is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 10% Carmnre, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Syrah from Apalta, Colchagua, and was aged in used barrels. An intense purple in color. The attractive nose offers plum jam, pink pepper and hints of cinnamon. In the mouth, its both opulent and juicy with finely grained tannins. The fairly concentrated palate flows expansively before the easygoing, lingering finish. A ripe red given the cool year." - Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous