The Golden Era

We don’t often sell wines from the southern hemisphere. While Australia and South America are awash in amazing values, the higher end of the market can be a roll of the dice. Of course you will see us offer up Penfolds Grange, but the list is very short after that. Today is one of the rare occasions where we will be offering up a wine that we feel matches in both pedigree and quality. As always, we have fully vetted these wines to the highest standards, and you will see a couple more New World offers from us before the year is out.

Clos Apalta has been around for less than 3 decades, but in that short time, trailblazer Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle (from the Grand Marnier family) has created one of the most iconic wines of South America. Her vision and desire to craft a world-class Chilean wine to rival classified-growth Bordeaux culminated with the 2005 vintage taking home the coveted Wine Spectator Wine of the Year, all with fewer than 10 vintages having ever been released. Today the wine is sold by the same Bordeaux negociant system within which other global icons like Opus One and Solaia are also traded.

Despite that early success, we feel that that best years are here and now. The winemaking has continuously evolved and the wines are providing that “wow factor” that we so often look for and rarely find in wines of Chile. You’ll probably notice that our listings contain more than the usual single rating we provide. The consistency of ratings further cements what our very own tastings have proven- these wines are really that good.

Year after year, the flagship Clos Apalta soars to new heights, and with an exceptional vintage like 2021, it should come as no surprise that this is a thrilling new release for them. For those looking for a vintage or two that’s a little closer to drinkability, we have several back vintages to offer that are perfectly stored. Lapostolle also crafted a sibling wine, Clos du Lican, a Syrah based wine that blends the classic old-world terroir with the ripe fruit of the new world (side note- for those that love that bacon note in their Syrah, this is a must!). If you are looking for a superb value, the Petit Clos is the perfect “second label”, easily achieving that elusively high quality-to-price ratio.