Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta

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Wine Description

Le Petit Clos is a different interpretation of the Clos Apalta Terroir, using the mastery of blending that is the heart of the winemaking philosophy from the Domaines Bournet - Lapostolle.

In 2014, Clos Apalta gave birth to its second wine, Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta. Le Petit Clos offers a different interpretation of this unique terroir, using the same grapes, but in different proportion, and offering young vines a chance to prove their worth before they can make it into the Grand Vin.

Recognized as “Wine of the Year” when its 2005 vintage was chosen TOP # 1 by the Wine Spectator magazine, Clos Apalta is the only South American wine that has received this award. In addition, the 2000 and 2001 vintages were also positioned as TOP 3 and TOP 2 respectively in the same magazine. With the exceptional 2017 vintage, Clos Apalta is awarded for the third time 100 points by famed American journalist and wine critic James Suckling, consolidating its position in the "Legends of Chile".

“This is so delicious with blackcurrants, spice, sweet tobacco, lavender and roses. Full-bodied, tight and very polished with gorgeous texture and finesse. Shows tannin tension at the end.”
— James Suckling, Apr 2020

“Petit Clos is the house's second wine and is based on cabernet sauvignon from very old vines planted on granitic soils in 1930 and 1950. It is not, however, a discard of the first wine, Clos Apalta, but rather a different interpretation of Apalta as a zone. Clos Apalta is based on carmenere, while this Petit is 69% cabernet, 16% carmenere, 9% cabernet franc, 5% merlot, and the rest is petit verdot. Regardless of all the above, it maintains the opulent and ripe style of the house's wines, not with the intensity of the past, but with an opulence that overflows with ripe and black fruit flavors amid a tannic body that needs at least five years in the bottle to evolve.”
— Descorchados, Aug 2021

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Production area/appellation:

Apalta Valley

Vineyard name

El Condor de Apalta

Soil composition

Colluvial granitic soils well decomposed over different layers of clay.

Harvest time:

March - April

Prefermentation Technique:

Native yeast

Time on its skins:

Up to 5 weeks

Varietal composition:

68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Carmenere, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot

Fermentation container:

Small French Oak Vats

pH level:

3.55

Acidity:

3.75 g/L

Alcohol:

14.5 %

Residual sugar:

3.19 g/L

The 2017 vintage was shaped by extreme conditions which promoted deadly, tinderbox conditions for the propagation of devastating wildfires, with a total of 600,000 hectares of forest. To our great relief, our vines were spared and suffered no smoke damage, which was soon confirmed on tasting the different parcels of grapes.

Winter was exceptionally dry at Clos Apalta, with a 35% hydric deficit compared to the long term average. Spring was drier and cold. In November, marginally higher temperatures and marginal accumulation of rain resulted in budbreak commencing 10 days early. Summer was unbearably hot, with scorching temperatures hovering between 32°C and 35°C. After the first ten days of March, both minimum and maximum temperatures had dropped markedly. Such temperature variations allowed the grapes to complete phenolic ripening, promoting intense color and retaining intense fruit character and freshness

Apalta is located at 170 Kilometers South West from Santiago in the Colchagua Valley. The Vineyard is situated on a North to South exposure, which is quite rare in Chile.

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Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta

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