At its price range, this is a great Chilean Bordeaux blend. The herbal green notes are pronounced and nice from the Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Carmenere. Silky tannins. Lotsa dark fruits, intense and full bodied. Still developing, but very balance with long finish. Drink now with potential to age.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A beautiful second wine. Still very young. He has great guard potential. Full-bodied, still with some astringency, long and persistent finish. Red and black fruits mix in a harmonious profusion with touches of cigar and chocolate.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tremendous wine and *way* better than the bottle I tried 3 years ago which was green and disjointed. This wine is now more or less fully integrated with a deep, luscious nose of dark red & black fruit, cedar, cigar/tobacco and savory herbs. Dark garnet in the glass with a medium body and silky texture; legs take over a minute to run down. On the palate fine tannins, more red & black fruit with notes of tobacco, herbs, a pleasant minerality and oak. Very enjoyable wine that is smooth on the palate and has balance & class. Finish lingers for over a minute.... Great value @ $40.00-50.00 USD. Totally ready to drink but has structure to go another 2-4 years easy. I don't think this is too far behind it's big brother and for the $ represents terrific value.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Le Petit Clos (Apalta) 2017 14.5% alc I gave the wine in summer 2021 benevolent 86 points. The wine was rough and evidently in a very muted stage. Now, 27 months later, the same wine fires from all cylinders. The nose of the cabernet dominated wine continues to be young on fine notes of cassis and réglisse. The palate developed more and is now likely to a 10 to 12 years old left bank Bordeaux. Notes of forest floor, paired with ripe cassis, mulberries and cherries as well as mild tobacco, fine notes of cedar wood and juniper and a long aftertaste on the chalky and stony side. I am glad to have 10 bottles left I will taste in the course of the following ~ 8 years. Incredible QPR. 92 - 93 points
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
deep dark ruby with appreciable body. complex and fresh nose with eucalyptus, menthol and herbs permeating the cassis, black cherry, and blackberry fruits; leathery and woody whiffs come thru as well. ample, juicy, fresh and layered in the mouth, with the nose replicated on the palate. very good balance, softening tannins and very good persistence.
this is developing very nicely, increasing in suppleness as it ages (last tasted almost two years ago). still has upside potential.
14.5% AbV; 68% CS/ 16% CM/ 9% CF/ 5% ME/ 2% PV; aged the first six months in new French oak barrels, then another sixteen months in 15% new, 25% second use, and 65% third use French oak barrels (at six months the better barrels were selected for the flagship Clos Apalta wine).
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit rough-hewn compared to recent vintages, but still a terrific wine. Notes of black currant, blackberry, and tar commingle throughout, with hints of bell pepper and espresso weaving in late. Fairly tannic on the medium finish, this should soften over the next few years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (R&D’s): Double blind. Notes of eucalyptus, mint and black fruit. Medium to full-bodied, with medium tannins and flavors of herbs and plummy dark fruit. Medium+ finish. 91-92 pts. (R&S)
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Struggling to rate this. I did enjoy the wine, but having recently had a 2013 Sena, I had that in my mind and couldn’t help comparing the two, which obviously isn’t fair as the Sena is about twice the price.
This is clearly a well made and good quality wine however, and was not overdone, but was just missing some smoothness. If anything this was less Chilean than I was expecting. To some that might be a good thing, but if I wanted a Bordeaux I’d drink a Bordeaux. Sometimes you want something a bit different!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The complexity is insane - it drinks more like a Bordeaux than a Napa wine … while still very much retaining it’s Chilean identity. Blueberry cobbler, black currant, herbs & spice on the palate. The smell is intoxicating as well. Medium + body, medium + tannins.
If you can find this at $50 or under, grab multiple bottles!
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
91++ Always exciting to drink Le Petit Clos as the blend differs much every year. For me the 17 blend resembles top class classified left bank Bordeaux wines from 17 out there. 17 is not jammy, more elegant compared to other vintages of the label making it far more approachable. For a 2nd wine this is austere and very tannic that require long bottle ageing. Just started to produce sediments so I think after 3yrs this wine will become something much better than the current state. This took nearly a day to fully open, and before that the wine showed vanilla, black cherry and black current and some leather with bothersome strong tannin which’s kinda boring new world traits. When opened much more complex primary and secondary noses and a lot softer tannin.
Be patient with this wine.
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
PNP. Inky dark and nose is very primary at open, almost barrel sample. But with about 20 minutes to open up in the glass this drinks very well. Dark fruits, some minerals, concentrated, but very nice balance and a nice long finish. Reminds me of the 2015 l'Esprit de Chevalier. With another hour the tannins start to show more and this shuts down a bit, but if drinking in the first hour I would enjoy this now, but seems to have structure to hold and perhaps show some more development. A-
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
After 770 ratings on Vivino, I decided that my wine ratings need to consider not just quality and enjoyment factors, but the pricing too. Take for example this USD 45 Chilean, it simply punches above its price point hence the additional half star from me.
Plum and vanilla notes in this Bdx Blend, super enjoyable again.
Been drinking and dining so hard this birthday fortnight that I am backlogged on my Vivino notes, this was from back on 23 Jul 2022.
Honest Butcher by Chef Nickt, Kota Damansara, Malaysia.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
YOUNG! But very good! I am excited to see what this wine tastes like in 5+ years. Tried just a sip after opening and it was a punch in the face, lots of boldness. We let it decant for 90 minutes before drinking and it mellowed out but was still aggressive. A red fruit, cherry type of flavor on the initial mouth. Overall a winner.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ka-boom! What a lovely bottle. Deep ruby to purplish pour in the glass. Juicy nose filled with concentrated medley of fruit jam consisting plum, blackberries, dark cherry & fig. Followed with notes of oak & fresh tobacco leaves. Balanced and chewy on the palate with continuous delicious dark fruit finish. The finish is intense and loooongg.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
It's structured and DEFINITELY not ready. It took 4 days after opening up the bottle for it to be remotely flavored rather then a rich dusty dense rock mouthfeel. On the 4th day it finally opened to a tamed structure worth of drinking with a coating of Carmenere and a body of CS. I am neutral on it knowing it can get better. I would definitely hold until 2025 and minimum 2024 to drink.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2nd label of Clos Apalta, made from a Bordeaux blend of 68% CS, 16% Carmenere, 9% CF, 5% Merlot and 2% PV. Matured in new FR oak barriques for 6 months, followed by another 16 months in used FR barrels. Deep ruby colour. Medium intensity aroma of cassis, jammy blackberries, liquorice, dried violets, herbal hints. Full body, fleshy and tight with rich juicy texture, medium density, youthful but approachable velvety smooth grained tannins.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
first bottle of a case… so it will be interesting to see how it develops into age ten or so. but for now, things look very promising.
gave the wine an hour or so decant, and its ripe fruit, herbal, and spice notes were generous and delightful. very approachable and balanced at this age, it is certainly into its drinking window but has plenty of room to further develop.
delightful with the empanadas de pino!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Solid albeit not particularly special BDX blend. There is some style at play with groovy tobacco on skin and currants, but it also flattens out with time. Good structure and integrity carries this through and solid fruit also persists. Net effect is good and carried over the next day as well.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I cheated for the fourth wine at our 23rd virtual wine tasting night. I have had this stunning Bordeaux blend before and knew it would get accolades. Why not close out a tasting session on a proven winner? You can read my original notes on the Petite Clos here.
It is a deep claret color with rich blackberry, coconut, sarsaparilla, anise, toast and black cherry on the nose. Rich fruit is what I noted for the palate- we got black plum, black cherry, cherry coke, coconut and anise on the palate which has great tannic structure, medium (+) acidity, medium finish and is full bodied. The mouthfeel on this wine is going to be spectacular with a bit of cellaring. Drink this 93 point beauty till 2030 at the least with hearty grilled meat, heavy duty stews or rich dishes. Great job on this $40 wine that gets 5 stars from me. Slam-dunk if you are looking for a surefire winner for a tasting.
https://wp.me/p125DB-2on
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
3 hour decant, no formal notes. Dark profiled with tar, black cherry, leather. From recent memory, 2015 slightly better at this point. Needs some time.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Christmas dinner - no formal notes Maybe this bottle was a tiny bit less expressive than the prior? Still wonderful. The Chilean greenness comes out as pleasant fresh cut flower stems, slight spearmint. Balanced fruit. A structured wine with years of improvement ahead. Really tremendous for a "second" wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromas - medium intensity green pepper and quince, red plum, dark cherry, currant, slight damp earth. Savory and stony mineral notes emerge over time.
Palate - medium bodied, medium+ acid and ripe medium tannins. Ripe fruit and mineral across an expansive yet weightless mid palate and a medium + length mineral driven finish.
The structure and complexity are here to allow for aging and I feel this will be better in 4-6 years.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tried 3 times over a couple of weeks, some differences but in general found it dark and brooding not unlike a young St. Emillion. With air tannins settled and a glimpse of the potential surfaces. Gonna leave this alone for a couple of years but I like the potential. Won't be surprised if my score rises.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Actually in a very muted stage. No pleasure for nose and palate. No fruit nor any other of the qualities that one would expect from a great wine. Bad cork? Hope that some of the future 11 bottles will develop in a better way... Actually not more than 82 points!
Second day: The wine shows some signs of licorice and spices in the nose, it would be exaggerated to say: he begins to sing. On the palate, there comes threw that type of bitterness announcing in closed down Bordeaux wines a possible future of secondary or, later on, tertiary notes. Let's hope! Uprated to 89!
Next bottle not before 2023, for the Grand Vin Clos Apalta 2017 not before 2027!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A very solid second wine, with notes of dark bramble, plum, cacao,graphite and savoury herbs. The palate is full bodied, rich and focused with elegant layers of dark chocolate, spicy dark fruit and a savoury undertone. The tannins are finnely grained, the length spicy and rich. Polished. This should age nicely for the next 5-8 years
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep purple in the glass with a nose of black plum, dark berries and rich oak. The palate is dry with juicy acidity, dark fruits galore and a bucketful of tannins. The blackberry component is very focused and I also get a delicious dark chocolate note. The grip of the tannins is quite searing but I am enjoying them, well composed and not overly astringent. The fruit flavors kick it up a notch on the mid palate alongside licorice and charcoal. The finish is long and fruity- dry AF. The mouthfeel is great on this full bodied wine. The acidity is watering, balanced by the stoic tannins and gobs of extracted black fruits. The 14.5% alcohol is not evident, be careful! A young wine that is drinkable now yet will cellar well till 2030. 68% Cab Sav, it is rich, opulent and full throttle. 92 points from me for this $40 wine make it a 5 star effort.
Fruity, but more restrained than many new world bordeaux blends I've had. This should improve with age, although it has decent complexity at this point
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful with restrained elegance showing dark fruit, blackberry, baking chocolate, black currant, and a hint of earthy fennel on the nose. Gorgeous mouthfeel with medium to firm tannins, and a hint of vanilla to round out the blackberries and currants on a long if not a bit drying finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really, really delicious. The fruit is supple and intense, but the sip is smooth as silk after it opens up. Earthy complexity on the back end is there to bolster the overall enjoyment and should develop further as it ages. This bottle could benefit from a couple of more years, but very enjoyable right now, and, a solid value. I could reasonably see this drinking at a 94-95 in 2023-5.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
3/30/2024 - trifreddy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bu avec Benoit et Valerie. Nez épicés et complexe. Tannins bien intégré et élegant.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/13/2024 - ericpoh1980 Likes this wine: 92 Points
At its price range, this is a great Chilean Bordeaux blend. The herbal green notes are pronounced and nice from the Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Carmenere. Silky tannins. Lotsa dark fruits, intense and full bodied. Still developing, but very balance with long finish. Drink now with potential to age.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2024 - Campelo Filho Likes this wine: 95 Points
A beautiful second wine. Still very young. He has great guard potential. Full-bodied, still with some astringency, long and persistent finish. Red and black fruits mix in a harmonious profusion with touches of cigar and chocolate.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2024 - brennan18 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tremendous wine and *way* better than the bottle I tried 3 years ago which was green and disjointed. This wine is now more or less fully integrated with a deep, luscious nose of dark red & black fruit, cedar, cigar/tobacco and savory herbs. Dark garnet in the glass with a medium body and silky texture; legs take over a minute to run down. On the palate fine tannins, more red & black fruit with notes of tobacco, herbs, a pleasant minerality and oak. Very enjoyable wine that is smooth on the palate and has balance & class. Finish lingers for over a minute.... Great value @ $40.00-50.00 USD. Totally ready to drink but has structure to go another 2-4 years easy. I don't think this is too far behind it's big brother and for the $ represents terrific value.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2023 - EJDALEwine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fine wine! Chilean in the Bordeau style. It don't get much better than this!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/30/2023 - Léognan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Le Petit Clos (Apalta) 2017
14.5% alc
I gave the wine in summer 2021 benevolent 86 points. The wine was rough and evidently in a very muted stage.
Now, 27 months later, the same wine fires from all cylinders. The nose of the cabernet dominated wine continues to be young on fine notes of cassis and réglisse.
The palate developed more and is now likely to a 10 to 12 years old left bank Bordeaux. Notes of forest floor, paired with ripe cassis, mulberries and cherries as well as mild tobacco, fine notes of cedar wood and juniper and a long aftertaste on the chalky and stony side.
I am glad to have 10 bottles left I will taste in the course of the following ~ 8 years. Incredible QPR.
92 - 93 points
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/21/2023 - WindFlyer Likes this wine: 92 Points
two-hour double decant, no appreciable sediment.
deep dark ruby with appreciable body. complex and fresh nose with eucalyptus, menthol and herbs permeating the cassis, black cherry, and blackberry fruits; leathery and woody whiffs come thru as well. ample, juicy, fresh and layered in the mouth, with the nose replicated on the palate. very good balance, softening tannins and very good persistence.
this is developing very nicely, increasing in suppleness as it ages (last tasted almost two years ago). still has upside potential.
14.5% AbV; 68% CS/ 16% CM/ 9% CF/ 5% ME/ 2% PV; aged the first six months in new French oak barrels, then another sixteen months in 15% new, 25% second use, and 65% third use French oak barrels (at six months the better barrels were selected for the flagship Clos Apalta wine).
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2023 - ziavino wrote: 92 Points
A bit rough-hewn compared to recent vintages, but still a terrific wine. Notes of black currant, blackberry, and tar commingle throughout, with hints of bell pepper and espresso weaving in late. Fairly tannic on the medium finish, this should soften over the next few years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2023 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (R&D’s): Double blind. Notes of eucalyptus, mint and black fruit. Medium to full-bodied, with medium tannins and flavors of herbs and plummy dark fruit. Medium+ finish. 91-92 pts. (R&S)
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/6/2023 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Nice depth and balance, had a slight firm structure which I appreciated. Solid.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2023 - RichardsEric1 Likes this wine: 88 Points
My last bottle from the initial purchase of 6 bottles. This bottle is the best in terms of being age worthy and complex.
Color. Super saturated dark red.
Nose. Dark brooding fruits, cassis, cedar, blackberries, sage, graphite.
Palate. Rich tannic structure. Very backwards. Taste is flawed by a band-aid flavor. Lacks a fruit filled finish.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/5/2023 - mikelikewine Likes this wine:
Struggling to rate this. I did enjoy the wine, but having recently had a 2013 Sena, I had that in my mind and couldn’t help comparing the two, which obviously isn’t fair as the Sena is about twice the price.
This is clearly a well made and good quality wine however, and was not overdone, but was just missing some smoothness. If anything this was less Chilean than I was expecting. To some that might be a good thing, but if I wanted a Bordeaux I’d drink a Bordeaux. Sometimes you want something a bit different!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2023 - PLLU Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great balance and elegant
Nose: complex and elegant where the blue fruits blends with a touch of oak and herbs 🌿.
Taste: Elegant and balanced between acidity, tannins and herbs/floral tones. Long and multilayered
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2023 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 92 Points
A little tight on opening, much more ready for primetime on days 2 and 3. Next bottle 2024+ with decant
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2023 - AboveAvgBro wrote: 92 Points
Probably the best Chilean wine under $100. Seriously.
68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Carmenere, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot
The complexity is insane - it drinks more like a Bordeaux than a Napa wine … while still very much retaining it’s Chilean identity. Blueberry cobbler, black currant, herbs & spice on the palate. The smell is intoxicating as well. Medium + body, medium + tannins.
If you can find this at $50 or under, grab multiple bottles!
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2022 - Herschel Krustofski Likes this wine: 93 Points
From Coravin.
Still very young, needs time, air, substantial food.
Recommend decanting 1hour or so.
92(+1 for good value).
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2022 - mckillop Likes this wine:
Very yummy Second from Clos Apalta
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2022 - RogerCSG Likes this wine: 91 Points
91++
Always exciting to drink Le Petit Clos as the blend differs much every year. For me the 17 blend resembles top class classified left bank Bordeaux wines from 17 out there. 17 is not jammy, more elegant compared to other vintages of the label making it far more approachable.
For a 2nd wine this is austere and very tannic that require long bottle ageing. Just started to produce sediments so I think after 3yrs this wine will become something much better than the current state.
This took nearly a day to fully open, and before that the wine showed vanilla, black cherry and black current and some leather with bothersome strong tannin which’s kinda boring new world traits.
When opened much more complex primary and secondary noses and a lot softer tannin.
Be patient with this wine.
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/31/2022 - MC wrote:
PNP. Inky dark and nose is very primary at open, almost barrel sample. But with about 20 minutes to open up in the glass this drinks very well. Dark fruits, some minerals, concentrated, but very nice balance and a nice long finish. Reminds me of the 2015 l'Esprit de Chevalier. With another hour the tannins start to show more and this shuts down a bit, but if drinking in the first hour I would enjoy this now, but seems to have structure to hold and perhaps show some more development. A-
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/23/2022 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 90 Points
After 770 ratings on Vivino, I decided that my wine ratings need to consider not just quality and enjoyment factors, but the pricing too. Take for example this USD 45 Chilean, it simply punches above its price point hence the additional half star from me.
Plum and vanilla notes in this Bdx Blend, super enjoyable again.
Been drinking and dining so hard this birthday fortnight that I am backlogged on my Vivino notes, this was from back on 23 Jul 2022.
Honest Butcher by Chef Nickt, Kota Damansara, Malaysia.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2022 - EJDALEwine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful wine. Needed 30 minutes of air, then perfect!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2022 - Cf_robert wrote: 90 Points
Much better on the second day, will wait minimum 1-2 years before drinking another one
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2022 - Byrdcellars Likes this wine: 91 Points
YOUNG! But very good! I am excited to see what this wine tastes like in 5+ years. Tried just a sip after opening and it was a punch in the face, lots of boldness. We let it decant for 90 minutes before drinking and it mellowed out but was still aggressive. A red fruit, cherry type of flavor on the initial mouth. Overall a winner.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2022 - Romz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ka-boom! What a lovely bottle. Deep ruby to purplish pour in the glass. Juicy nose filled with concentrated medley of fruit jam consisting plum, blackberries, dark cherry & fig. Followed with notes of oak & fresh tobacco leaves. Balanced and chewy on the palate with continuous delicious dark fruit finish. The finish is intense and loooongg.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2022 - Takeshi wrote: 90 Points
It's structured and DEFINITELY not ready. It took 4 days after opening up the bottle for it to be remotely flavored rather then a rich dusty dense rock mouthfeel. On the 4th day it finally opened to a tamed structure worth of drinking with a coating of Carmenere and a body of CS. I am neutral on it knowing it can get better. I would definitely hold until 2025 and minimum 2024 to drink.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2022 - Ernestas Likes this wine: 90 Points
2nd label of Clos Apalta, made from a Bordeaux blend of 68% CS, 16% Carmenere, 9% CF, 5% Merlot and 2% PV. Matured in new FR oak barriques for 6 months, followed by another 16 months in used FR barrels. Deep ruby colour. Medium intensity aroma of cassis, jammy blackberries, liquorice, dried violets, herbal hints. Full body, fleshy and tight with rich juicy texture, medium density, youthful but approachable velvety smooth grained tannins.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2022 - WindFlyer Likes this wine: 91 Points
first bottle of a case… so it will be interesting to see how it develops into age ten or so. but for now, things look very promising.
gave the wine an hour or so decant, and its ripe fruit, herbal, and spice notes were generous and delightful. very approachable and balanced at this age, it is certainly into its drinking window but has plenty of room to further develop.
delightful with the empanadas de pino!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2022 - AndrewSGHall wrote: 89 Points
Solid albeit not particularly special BDX blend. There is some style at play with groovy tobacco on skin and currants, but it also flattens out with time. Good structure and integrity carries this through and solid fruit also persists. Net effect is good and carried over the next day as well.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2022 - caspernick Likes this wine: 93 Points
I cheated for the fourth wine at our 23rd virtual wine tasting night. I have had this stunning Bordeaux blend before and knew it would get accolades. Why not close out a tasting session on a proven winner? You can read my original notes on the Petite Clos here.
It is a deep claret color with rich blackberry, coconut, sarsaparilla, anise, toast and black cherry on the nose. Rich fruit is what I noted for the palate- we got black plum, black cherry, cherry coke, coconut and anise on the palate which has great tannic structure, medium (+) acidity, medium finish and is full bodied. The mouthfeel on this wine is going to be spectacular with a bit of cellaring. Drink this 93 point beauty till 2030 at the least with hearty grilled meat, heavy duty stews or rich dishes. Great job on this $40 wine that gets 5 stars from me. Slam-dunk if you are looking for a surefire winner for a tasting.
https://wp.me/p125DB-2on
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2021 - ta75 Likes this wine: 91 Points
3 hour decant, no formal notes. Dark profiled with tar, black cherry, leather. From recent memory, 2015 slightly better at this point. Needs some time.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2021 - windtalker Likes this wine: 93 Points
Christmas dinner - no formal notes
Maybe this bottle was a tiny bit less expressive than the prior? Still wonderful. The Chilean greenness comes out as pleasant fresh cut flower stems, slight spearmint. Balanced fruit. A structured wine with years of improvement ahead. Really tremendous for a "second" wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2021 - kljw01 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark ruby, almost purple
On the nose, notes of mint, eucalyptus, blackcurrant, cassis, leather, vanilla, slight chocolate & forest floor. It was really lovely on the nose
On the palate, got some mild spices, minty notes, blackcurrant, plum, and slightly herbaceous finish. Tannins were well integrated
Dry, medium tannins & acidity. Fairly good length
Absolute good value for its price for such a delicious bottle of a good label!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2021 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 92 Points
4.2 stars (Vivino) ...
Bold but balanced, with a wonderful aromatic nose and medium to long finish.
Blackcurrant and plum seems to be more restrained and integrated compared to the 2016 I had 4 months ago.
This is a beautiful Bordeaux blend, wonderful 2nd Wine from Clos Apalta and beautifully packaged as well in its wooden crate and paper / tissue wrap.
Delightful pairing with our home cooked Bak Kut Teh (BKT) tonight here at home.
Malaysia, 1 Nov 2021
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2021 - windtalker Likes this wine: 94 Points
Family 2017 Bordeaux Blend Night: Decanted 3 hrs prior to tasting.
Aromas - medium intensity green pepper and quince, red plum, dark cherry, currant, slight damp earth. Savory and stony mineral notes emerge over time.
Palate - medium bodied, medium+ acid and ripe medium tannins. Ripe fruit and mineral across an expansive yet weightless mid palate and a medium + length mineral driven finish.
The structure and complexity are here to allow for aging and I feel this will be better in 4-6 years.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2021 - Zoso Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tried 3 times over a couple of weeks, some differences but in general found it dark and brooding not unlike a young St. Emillion. With air tannins settled and a glimpse of the potential surfaces. Gonna leave this alone for a couple of years but I like the potential. Won't be surprised if my score rises.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2021 - Léognan wrote: 86 Points
Actually in a very muted stage. No pleasure for nose and palate. No fruit nor any other of the qualities that one would expect from a great wine. Bad cork? Hope that some of the future 11 bottles will develop in a better way... Actually not more than 82 points!
Second day: The wine shows some signs of licorice and spices in the nose, it would be exaggerated to say: he begins to sing. On the palate, there comes threw that type of bitterness announcing in closed down Bordeaux wines a possible future of secondary or, later on, tertiary notes. Let's hope! Uprated to 89!
Next bottle not before 2023, for the Grand Vin Clos Apalta 2017 not before 2027!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/24/2021 - jakob.krummenacher@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Good but can find better wines at this price point
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2021 - bundan Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2021 - jpham wrote: 89 Points
Much better after allowing ~60 mins decant. Dark, dark fruit and baking spices come through, but tannins are overwhelming.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2021 - mayakacz wrote:
Purple. Blueberry, black cherry, strong nose of alcohol. High tannin.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2021 - RichardsEric1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Costco buy. I really dig the glass that matches an Haut brion bottle.
Color.. Opaque purple red.
Nose... Cigar box, cedar, clove, cherry, and kirsch.
Palate. Dense rich structure. This is a rich wine. Cherry, raspberry, dark cola, chocolate, and tannin structure that won't quit. 30+ second finish.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2021 - Alexander Smith wrote: 94 Points
A very solid second wine, with notes of dark bramble, plum, cacao,graphite and savoury herbs. The palate is full bodied, rich and focused with elegant layers of dark chocolate, spicy dark fruit and a savoury undertone. The tannins are finnely grained, the length spicy and rich. Polished. This should age nicely for the next 5-8 years
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2021 - twain Likes this wine: 93 Points
Over two days, held up great. Purple, firm tannin but loads of blackberry and espresso. Great feel. A big treat.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2021 - caspernick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep purple in the glass with a nose of black plum, dark berries and rich oak. The palate is dry with juicy acidity, dark fruits galore and a bucketful of tannins. The blackberry component is very focused and I also get a delicious dark chocolate note. The grip of the tannins is quite searing but I am enjoying them, well composed and not overly astringent. The fruit flavors kick it up a notch on the mid palate alongside licorice and charcoal. The finish is long and fruity- dry AF. The mouthfeel is great on this full bodied wine. The acidity is watering, balanced by the stoic tannins and gobs of extracted black fruits. The 14.5% alcohol is not evident, be careful! A young wine that is drinkable now yet will cellar well till 2030. 68% Cab Sav, it is rich, opulent and full throttle. 92 points from me for this $40 wine make it a 5 star effort.
https://caspernick.com/2021/04/20/clos-apalta-le-petit-clos-2017-apalta-valley-chile/
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2021 - glassofhans Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fruity, but more restrained than many new world bordeaux blends I've had. This should improve with age, although it has decent complexity at this point
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2021 - passion4wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful with restrained elegance showing dark fruit, blackberry, baking chocolate, black currant, and a hint of earthy fennel on the nose. Gorgeous mouthfeel with medium to firm tannins, and a hint of vanilla to round out the blackberries and currants on a long if not a bit drying finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2021 - bcahlbrandt Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really, really delicious. The fruit is supple and intense, but the sip is smooth as silk after it opens up. Earthy complexity on the back end is there to bolster the overall enjoyment and should develop further as it ages. This bottle could benefit from a couple of more years, but very enjoyable right now, and, a solid value. I could reasonably see this drinking at a 94-95 in 2023-5.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment