Clos Apalta 2017
When I first came to Apalta, it struck me – unique geography, climate and old vines that are not grafted. The potential that lay hidden in this incredible place came to reality with the creation of Clos Apalta.Jacques Begarie, Chief Winemaker
Tasting Notes
COLOR
Deep garnet in appearance, the wine reflects the intense colour of carmenère grapes and typical aromas of ripe fruits.
NOSE
An abundance of aromas, including redcurrant, raspberry and wild strawberries, reflects the stunning complexity of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and carmenère.
PALATE
The initial wave of berry fruits, underpinned by soft, silky tannins, is pursued by contrasting touches of black olive, blackcurrant and liquorice. Incredibly long and taut on the finish, revealing exquisite, delicate tannins, and expressing the great elegance of the Apalta terroirs.
Vintage Report
APPELATION
D.O. Apalta.
BLEND
The blend, made up of 48% Carmenère, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and
1% Petit Verdot.
HARVEST
February 23rd to April 25th.
GROWING CONDITIONS
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 longterm 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 colour and retaining intense fruit character and freshness.
In the end, conditions for ripening were excellent and consistent with a classic year.
Technical sheet
Find out more with our detailed technical sheet
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