Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta Reviews
Learn More About Le Petit de Clos Apalta Through its Reviews.
2020 Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta Reviews
This wine is a blend of 40% Carmenere, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
95 Pointz James Suckling
“A beautiful delivery of Petit Clos with spiced black cherries, cassis, olives, and some red capsicums to the nose. Chalky tannins are densely packed on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Tight, structured, and fine-grained. Very long.”
94 Pointz Vinous
“The 2020 Blend Le Petit Clos is a mix of mostly Carménère and Cabernet Sauvignon from Apalta, Colchagua. Dark garnet red in hue. The complex nose offers plum jam, hints of sweet spice, herbs, and pepper against a backdrop of cigar box, graphite, and a whiff of violets. A ripe, broad, full-bodied red with precise acidity and a juicy, grippy flow, the finish is intense and complex. The 2020 vintage is notably lean compared to other vintages.”
93 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The second wine from Clos Apalta, the 2020 Le Petit Clos, was produced with the grapes from younger vines and in a different proportion than in the grand vins; it's a blend of 40% Carmenere, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot from their granite soils in the warm Apalta valley from a warm and ripe year. The wine has the lush and ripe signature, with 15% alcohol, decadent and showy, with a nose of violets and camphor, ripe berries, herbs and spices, and integrated oak. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, with five to six weeks of maceration, manual punch-downs, and malolactic in French oak barrels. The élevage was 26 months in 53% new oak and 47% second use oak. It has the velvety tannins from a warm vintage—fine-grained and abundant—with a long finish with a bitter twist.”
2019 Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta Reviews
This wine is a blend of 49% Carmenere, 30% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot.
95 Pointz James Suckling
“Aromatic and herbal nose of thyme, bay leaves, currants, blackberries, licorice, and pomelo pith. Medium-bodied with a fleshy, delicious, and open palate. Ripe tannins. Plush and caressing finish.”
94 Pointz Vinous
“The 2019 Le Petit Clos from Apalta, Colchagua, was aged for eight months in new French oak barrels, and then 14 months half new and half second used ones. Dark purple in the glass. It delivers an intricate nose of gentle pyrazine aromas such as jalapeno as well as blackberry, blueberry, and other dark fruit over a mild, well-integrated bed of oak. In the mouth, it’s vigorous with a rich, expansive flow while the woof provides heft and underlines the jammy flavors. An elegant red from an excellent year"
94 Pointz Wine Spectator
“An elegant, open-textured, and well-contoured blend, offering alluring balsam, cassis, and dark chocolate notes that fold over onto the rich palate. Picks up crushed red currant and espresso-laced berry flavors, which have great depth and linger effortlessly around suave tannins, echoing back to the core flavors.”
93 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The second wine from Clos Apalta, the 2019 Le Petit Clos was produced with a blend of 49% Carmenere, 30% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot from granite soils. It fermented with indigenous yeasts with four to five weeks of maceration with manual punchdowns and malolactic in French oak barrels. The élevage was eight months in new barrels and a further 14 months in 50% new oak and 50% second use. It's a ripe and powerful red with 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.6. It has a nose of herbs and spices, and it's creamy and lush, with a juicy texture and a full body with an herbal finish. It has mellow acidity and a soft mouthfeel through round and fine tannins.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
93 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“Le Petit Clos is the second wine of Clos Apalta, made with barrels selected in the winery rather than in the vineyard. Pairing Carmenère with 30% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, all aged in 50% new wood, it has top notes of rosemary and oregano, structured tannins, sweet fig and bramble jam flavours, and some underlying freshness.”
2018 Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta Reviews
This wine is a blend of 53% Carmenere, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot.
94 Pointz James Suckling
“A medium-bodied red with blackberry, red-berry, and spice aromas and flavors. It’s chewy and polished with a medium finish. Dried flowers to the fruit at the finish. Tight and reserved now.”
94 Pointz Vinous
“The 2018 Le Petit Clos is a blend of 53% Carménère, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot from Apalta, Colchagua. Dark garnet in hue. The complex nose offers plum jam, hints of smoke, herbs, and pepper against a backdrop of cigar box and graphite. A ripe, broad, full-bodied red with precise acidity and a juicy, grippy flow (quite accomplished for the style), it ends with an intense, ripe finish. A red to hold on to.”
94 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 2018 Le Petit Clos, a second wine born in 2014, was produced with a blend of 53% Carmenere, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot from organically and biodynamically certified vineyards even if the bottled doesn't carry the seals. It's ripe and powerful with the Apalta signature, earthy and stony. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats and matured in French barriques for some 22 months. It's full-bodied with a lush texture and round tannins, a softer version of the 2016.”
92 Pointz Wine Spectator
“Well-defined, showing wet stone and floral notes up front, joining red currant and cherry flavors that swell around lively mineral acidity and linger nicely around notes of peppercorn and cinnamon bark.”
91 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
“Dried herbs, green bell pepper, and black fruit are aromatic on the nose of this Carmenère-based blend (which also features a good amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of Merlot and Petit Verdot). A concentrated palate showcases plum, peppercorn, cumin, oregano, joining well-integrated oak flavors. It has supple tannins and a persistent finish with pleasant baking spices.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
93 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“Le Petit Clos is effectively the second wine of Clos Apalta made with selected lots designed to show "more fruit", according to Andrea León. Carmenère-dominated with 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, it's rich, smooth, and powerful, with stylish oak integration, granular tannins, and supporting acidity. Very polished.”
2017 Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta Reviews
This wine is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Carménère, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot.
96 Pointz James Suckling
“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.”
96 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“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. A blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, the rest Cabernet Franc.”
92 Pointz Wine Spectator
“Suave and filled with concentrated currant, red plum, and cherry flavors backed by crunchy acidity and fresh tannins. Minerally in the midpalate, with savory richness lingering on the finish with cocoa powder and herbal accents. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2025.”
91 Pointz Vinous
“The 2017 Red Blend Le Petit Clos is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Carménère, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot from Apalta, Colchagua, aged for six months in new oak before moving on to used barrels for 16 months. Violet-hued with a brisk-dust sheen. The ripe nose offers black currant and blackberry jam with a hint of bay leaf. In the mouth it’s intense with a lick of alcohol that intensifies the firm tannins, which become concentrated without being overbearing. Pleasant and long-lasting, this wine is defined by the warmer year.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
93 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“Le Petit Clos is the second wine of Clos Apalta and is a barrel rather than vineyard selection. Combining Cabernet Sauvignon with 32% Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, it’s a more forward style from Jacques Begarie with violet top notes, flavours of orange zest, cassis, and aromatic spices, and decent acidity.”
2016 Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta Reviews
This wine is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, and 1% Carménère.
96 Pointz James Suckling
“A juicy and delicious second wine from Clos Apalta. Beautiful, ripe, and delicious with dark berries and mushrooms. Full-bodied and very balanced with complex walnut, spice, and berry character. Dark chocolate and hazelnuts at the finish.”
93 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The ‘second wine’ here, the 2016 Le Petit Clos is a very different blend from the 2015; it is now mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with just 4% Merlot and 1% Carménère, while last year it was almost half Carménère. The vineyards are now certified in organic and biodynamic agriculture. The bunches were hand-destemmed, and the grapes fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and a six-week maceration. Malolactic was in barrique, and the élevage happened as follows: the wine spent seven months in new French barriques, and then 71% of the volume was transferred to French oak barriques (22% new and 49% second year,) while the rest of the wine was put in oak vats. The élevage was 23 months in total. With the change in varieties, this feels very different from the Clos Apalta – more Cabernet here and more Carménère there. The nose is elegant and nuanced, with herbs, spices, and a core of ripe red and black fruit, quite varietal and with integrated oak. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with round tannins and vibrant acidity, making it long and supple. I think it’s a step up over the 2015.”
93 Pointz Wine Spectator
“Minerally and well-structured, with bright acidity backing the cherry and raspberry flavors.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
93 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“‘A very Bordelais vintage’ is how Andrea León describes 2016, but this second wine is still at the riper end of the Chilean spectrum, with 14.7% alcohol, ripe fig and blackcurrant flavours, stylish oak, and a full-bodied finish.”
2015 Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta Reviews
This wine is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Carmenère, and 4% Petit Verdot.
98 Pointz James Suckling
“Blackberry, fresh herb, wet earth, and tar aromas follow through to a full body, with powerful tannins and density yet an agile and polished, textured finish. The second wine of Clos Apalta.”
93 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The second wine in a true Bordeaux sense, the 2015 Le Petit Clos is a wine of structure and good balance in the manner of their 2001 and 2006, concentrated and powerful vintages. It's a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Carmenère, and 4% Petit Verdot from younger slope vineyards and Cabernet Sauvignon from Clos Apalta. The wine is produced in the same way as the grand vin, but it has less oak and has quite a lot of character from the Carmenère. I find this fresher and less oaky than the wines I have in mind from the past, with more elegance within their style.”
92 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
“Ripe berry and cassis aromas come with richer oak-based notes of mint, coconut, and baking spice. A lively, fresh palate holds spicy black fruit flavors along with toast and mild herbal notes. Flavors of black coffee, black pepper, and dark chocolate grace the finish on this blend of undefined red grapes.”
92 Pointz Wine Spectator
“Very lithe and minerally, with focused dried red fruit flavors that are supported by fresh acidity and medium-grained tannins. The vibrant finish offers hints of white pepper and dried tarragon. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Petit Verdot.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
91 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“Le Petit Clos is like a scaled-down version of its older brother, Clos Apalta, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with 47% Carmenère and 4% Petit Verdot. Plush, ripe, and well upholstered with lots of new oak and notes of fig, cassis, and mulberry. Rich and intense.”
2014 Le Petit Clos de Clos Apalta Reviews
This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Carmenere, 28% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot.
93 Pointz James Suckling
"A tight and linear red with blackcurrant and blueberry character. Hints of iron and oyster shell. Medium to full body. Focused. Refined. The second wine of Clos Apalta."
93 Pointz Wine & Spirits
"Petit Clos is the new younger brother of the classic carménère-based Clos Apalta, a second selection of the estate’s old vineyards in El Condor de Apalta, where some of the vines are almost 100 years old. This blend is 30 percent carménère, while Clos is more than 70 percent. The balance of Petit is cabernet sauvignon (40 percent), merlot, as well as some petit verdot from younger vines. Dark cherry and dark, bitter chocolate lend a savory note to balance the lovely, sweet notes of blackberry in this wine, which is tighter, more focused, and narrower than its big brother. It is fresher, too, but with a similar depth of flavor coming from these venerable old vines."
92 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
"A black color and baked ripe-fruit aromas are the greeting on this second wine to Clos Apalta. While this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Merlot, and Petit Verdot feels soft along the edges, it's propped up by tartaric acidity. Blackened flavors of saturated blackberry and cassis maintain lush ripeness across the finish."
91 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
"A different interpretation of the Apalta terroir through blending, the 2014 Le Petit Clos is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Carmenere, 28% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. It aged in new French barriques for eight months followed by a further 18 months with equal parts in new barriques, used barriques, and 7,500-liter oak vats. There is a little less oak here and more Cabernet in the first vintage of this second wine in the Bordeaux style. It's quite classical and faithful with the house style of ripe, concentrated, and generously oaked wines. The palate shows plenty of tannins and oak-related flavors, spices, tobacco, and roasted coffee. It ends with marked oak flavors."
86 Pointz Wine Spectator
"A minerally style, with graphite and green herbal shades to the dried berry and sour cherry flavors. The savory finish has firm tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Merlot and Petit Verdot."
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
91 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“This is the first vintage of this second wine, as it were, made from Clos Apalta’s younger vines and aged in older wood. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Carmenere, Merlot, and a splash of Petit Verdot, it’s ripe, figgy, and intense, with supple tannins and a warm finish.”
16.5/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson,
Master of Wine
“Very dark crimson. Properly ripe and pleasing on the nose. Very winning and rich. Sweet but not green. If you tasted this in Bordeaux, you’d be pretty pleased.”
Enjoy