| 94 Points: “A fresh, spicy carmenere loaded with fruit. Dark cherries, tobacco, pepper, spices and touches of paprika, dark olives, graphite and dark chocolate. Juicy and
fruit-expressive on the palate with a medium to full body and fresh, fine-grained tannins. Flavorful and long. Always a great buy for the price. Drink or hold.” – Zekun Shuai, JamesSuckling.com (March 2024)
FROM THE WINERY
Named to honor the family’s legacy of fine wines and spirits dating back to 1827, the Cuvée Alexandre wines are produced entirely from Apalta estate grapes.
This Cuvée Alexandre Carmenère is sourced from selected parcels of our own vineyards in the famous Apalta Valley. Aromas of ripe and spicy fruit, soft tannins and an elegant balance, the result is a unique wine true to its origin, a world-class expression of a Carmenère.
Composition
92% Carmenère, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Syrah.
Tasting Notes
Color: Deep and inky black purple color.
Nose: Expressive beautiful aromas of black fruit such as plums, blackberry and currents. Spicy notes and herbs over a complex aftertaste
Palate: Fresh, round and juicy palate with long finish and full of flavors of spices and toasty notes.
Wine Production
To express the terroir of Apalta is our mission, so our winemaking philosophy remains a very natural process with minimal intervention. Our key points are 100% hand harvesting in small cases of 14 kilos and strict fruit selection by optical state of the art grape selection by Vistalys. A gentle
extraction and a judicious use of oak to preserve the fruit but integrate the complexity that a wine of this quality deserves. All fermentations were made with native yeasts.
FROM THE IMPORTER
About the Vineyard
The Apalta DO lies within a projection of the Coastal Cordillera, a small mountain range of decomposed granite between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean within the Colchagua Valley. The family’s estate – the ‘Clos’ – is protected by a horseshoe-shaped mountain that shelters vines from the extreme influences of the Andes and Pacific.
The hills provide relief from the afternoon sun in summer, creating slightly cooler conditions than the rest of the valley.
Below, the Tinguiririca River cuts along the valley, providing natural drainage for winter rains. Here, conditions are perfect for elegant, complex wines with great structure, depth, color, and aging potential.
PRODUCER PROFILE
Estate owned by: Charles de Bournet Marnier Lapostolle
Winemaker: Andrea León
Total acreage under vine: 447
Estate founded: 1994
Winery production: 39,000 Bottles
Region: Colchagua Valley
Country: Chile
Vineyard & Production
Info
Vineyard name: El Condor de Apalta
Soil composition: Granitic origin
Training method: Espalier
Exposure: Northern
Year vineyard planted: 1920
Harvest time: March - April
First vintage of this wine: 2007
Bottles produced of this wine: 39,000
Certified Eco-Friendly Practices: Biodynamic-Demeter
Certified Vineyards: Ceres
Winemaking &
Aging
Prefermentation Technique: Cold maceration
Time on its skins: Up to 4 weeks
Varietal composition: 92% Carmenere, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Syrah
Fermentation container: Stainless steel tanks
Maceration technique: Gentle extraction
Type of oak: French
Length of aging before bottling: 12 months
Age of Aging Container: 15% new, 23% second use, 62% third use
Analytical Data
pH level: 3.69
Acidity: 3.68 g/L
Alcohol: 14.5 %
Residual sugar: 2.4 g/L
ABOUT LAPOSTOLLE
Lapostolle: French in Essence – Chilean by Birth
Lapostolle was founded in 1994 by Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and her husband Cyril de Bournet upon their discovery of a unique clos in the Apalta Valley sheltering 100-year-old pre-phylloxera vines. They quickly realized its potential for producing world-class wines and embarked on their family’s next chapter in the New World. Alexandra brought generations of French winemaking tradition and expertise to the rugged landscape of the Colchagua Valley.
Today, Charles de
Bournet, the seventh generation, leads the winery in its newest chapter of innovation. Together with Andrea León, Technical Director & Winemaker, Lapostolle continues to craft wines that honor the winery’s credo: French in essence, Chilean by birth.
Location of Vineyard
Natural barriers such as the Andes Mountains and Pacific Ocean isolated Chile from phylloxera for centuries and preserved ancient genetic stock of ungrafted vines. The diverse topography, wide array of soils, and natural cooling influence of the Humboldt Current provide the perfect environment for sustainable farming and world-class wines.
The Lapostolle winery is located in Cunaco, Santa Cruz, in the Colchagua Valley, but the heart of Lapostolle is a mere seven kilometers away in El Condor de Apalta, the site of the famous Clos. Here, in a horseshoe-shaped valley with decomposing granite slopes formed by the Coastal
Cordillera, are vines planted between 1910-1945. The vineyard’s south-facing exposure shelters vines from the intense afternoon sun, allowing for a longer maturation, which produces wines of elegance, balance, concentration, and excellent natural acidity.
Winemaking Philosophy
At Lapostolle, the goal is as simple as it is ambitious: to create exceptional wines using French winemaking philosophy and the superb terroirs of Chile. Since Lapostolle’s inception in 1994, the winery has been committed to using sustainable wines using sustainable practices and working in harmony with the land. The health of soil, native vegetation, and local animal life is paramount.
The estate vineyards are tended according to Organic and Biodynamic practices, the old vines are dry farmed, and the fruit is harvested by hand. They protect hundreds of hectares of native Chilean flora in the hills of the vineyard,
increase biodiversity, follow a strict waste reduction program, and compost grape skins and stalks. The winery also uses natural water treatment processes and saves energy by using minimal filtering and limited chill stabilization. Lapostolle received the Wines of Chile certification for Sustainability in 2022.
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