Tasting Notes 38 found

Dark Ruby color, no real signs of aging yet.

Opulent nose of mature herbs, blackberry, black cherry, something I can’t put my nose to…), with a French oak influence of vanilla, cedar, and tobacco.

The palate is blackberry, black cherry, mature herbs, tobacco, and bitter dark chocolate. Full bodied, moderate-high tannins, and stellar balance between opulence and restraint.

Overall, this wine is simply spectacular. Drinks like a 1st or 2nd growth left bank Bordeaux meets Valley floor Napa (thinking Oakville To Kalon). Leans more Bordeaux than Napa, and is better for it.

. I find it hard to imagine a wine much better in Chile than Clos Apalta! The Carmenere they grow is the absolute best on planet earth. (168 views)

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PnP, and squarely in its drinking window. Notes of black currant, plum, and dark chocolate coalesce throughout, with the faintest hint of tannin still hanging on. Decadent, yet there's enough acidity to keep it feeling fresh. Delicious, and nearing its peak if not already there. (240 views)

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PNP and drank over a few hours. In its drinking window and can't imagine this being any better. (334 views)

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2nd bottle of this in less than a month

26.01.24: 10 yrs minimum blind tasting theme at Butcher’s Table.
My bottle tasted blind. Still my best Clos Apalta so far. So much freshness and fruit similar to a really good St Em (496 views)

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31122023 - Birthday lunch treat at Ming Heang. My 1st bottle tasted blind. Majority guessed this a Bordeaux left or right bank. Plum, cherry, cassis, delicious blue fruit, tobacco laced with nuances vanilla & white spice. Well integrated tannins with velvety mouthfeel. Great tensile strength & elongated finish with mixed notes if savory, minerals & fruit (598 views)

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This wine needs more time (751 views)

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Not my favorite vintage of this wine but still quite good. It has a tartness on the finish that makes it better with food. (730 views)

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Vinotheque release. Decanted over 3 hours, drank over additional 3 hours. Had nose, body, structure, and complexity. Age has given it grace, but it has freshness of a younger wine. Woodsy notes and smooth, long tannins meet minerals and some ripe fruit to back it right up. Drinking great now. (1027 views)

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Excellent wine, but lacked the elegance and maturity of a 2003 that we drank side by side at Solera. At first opening, the nose was dark fruit, blueberry and cedar and the palate wonderfully silky with a long finish. Over time, the palate became more jammy and lost out to the finesse of the 2003, which had apparently lost this characteristic while maturing in the bottle. I will wait at least 1 year to open up the second bottle. (1296 views)

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Beautiful
Lingers in the glass and on the palate long after it’s gone.

Fine sediment was only reason to decant. Didn’t need it to drink (1503 views)

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A matter of taste - Day 2: *** Brief notes from wine fair, primarily for my own memory ***
Glass: Stölzle Universal
10 years after release from winery. Starting to reach its peak. Really good balance, perfect tannin, deep, spicy, long finish. 93-94+ (2702 views)

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Nicely on point. Good balance of fruit-centered structure with some nice tobacco notes. Silky finish. Feels like it expresses what it wants to exactly. (Tasted at winery.) (2206 views)

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Brought to Tasting Group and presented double-blind. The 2012 Clos Apalta pours a deep ruby with an opaque core; high viscosity. There also seems to be quite a bit of fine sediment. On the nose, medium+ intensity displaying an opulent mix of ripe and wizened fruits: black berries, raspberries, and blueberries with cola, espresso, freshly tilled earth and just a kiss of green bell pepper. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the black fruits with red bramble and cherry fruit along with purple flowers and baking spices. Alcohol is medium+. Long, long finish. The wine was universally fawned over with guesses ranging from left bank classified growth to California Zinfandel to Australian Shiraz. Nobody called Carménère, let alone Chile. Blend: 66% Carménère, 19% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. (2402 views)

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Tasted at bodega. From coravin. 66% Carmenere, 19% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. A warm year. Still uses pre-phylloxera vines planted in 1920. Biodynamic and organic. Native yeast fermentation in small oak vats. 100% new French oak barrels for 24 months. Not fined, cold stabilized or filtered. 5,084 cases made. A bit of bricking on the edges showing its age compared to the 2017. Nose of savoury Carmenere herbal notes and smoked pepper, mint, ripe dark fruit and some emerging tertiary notes of mushrooms and earth. The palate is of course smoother than the 2017, but there are still plenty of tannins to resolve and still more than the 2018 Petit Clos tasted beside it. It’s a little more savoury overall than the 2017 too which could be due to the age but also more Carmenere and less Merlot in the blend even though both were hot vintages. 95+

https://winediplomats.com/ (1995 views)

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Staying with previous notes and score but over the last 2 years this has begun its transition and the enjoyment window is closing IMO.

A tad more bricking around the edges and the fruits have begun to fade but still delivers a nice blend that is really best with food. (1992 views)

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