Description
GENERAL CLIMATE CONDITIONS OF COLCHAGUA VALLEY Apalta is located 170 Kilometers South West of Santiago in the Colchagua Valley. The Vineyard is situated on a North to South exposure, which is quite rare in Chile. The Tinguiririca river rests on one side and the hills from the Coastal Cordillera surround the vineyard like a horseshoe on the other and are both integral in forming this unique terroir. This geography is responsible for the conditions that ensure balance for our vines and a slow ripening for the grapes. At sunrise and sunset, the hills block the suns rays, limiting the vines exposure to intense sunshine and the river has a cooling influence on the climate. Apalta has special meso-climate that is different from the rest of Colchagua Valley. Its climate could be described as semi-arid Mediterranean; with a winter only rainy season and a long dry summer season. Rains are highly concentrated during the winter reaching over 550 mm on average. During the growing season Oct-April, we have beautiful days and warm temperatures with no rain. There are cool breezes in the afternoons and the night-time temperatures are cold. We benefit from a wide temperature fluctuation between night and day; which is a key quality factor for color and tannins in our red wines. Slow maturation allows the grapes to reach their ideal maturity with high concentration and character, preserving the fruit and high levels of natural acidity, ensuring a long ageing potential.THE SOIL There is a great diversity in the soils throughout, but in general our wine comes from two main areas of our Apalta vineyard Hillside Vineyards with Colluvial Granitic soil great fruit concentration and acidity. Lower areas with colluvial soils Smooth and juicy tannins and color.VINTAGE CONDITIONS IN 2012 No precipitation was recorded during this harvest season, and high temperatures during the summer and fall resulted in earlier than normal ripening and harvest. Rainfall was never a concern during this harvest. Concerning the temperatures in spring, September was exceptionally hot. It was a small summer in the middle of the spring. October and November were just a little bit warmer and permitted a nice flowering of our grapevines. Summer started warmer than usual in December. However cool nights refreshed the ambient, raised air humidity, producing more color in the berries and preserve their natural acidity. The ripeness came earlier than usual. We harvested the red varieties 3 weeks earlier to achieve the right level of ripeness.WINEMAKING As a general winemaking philosophy, in our Cuvee Alexandre Merlot we look for elegance, balance and ageing potential. Express the terroir of Apalta is our mission; so our winemaking philosophy remains very natural process with minimal intervention. Our key points are 100% hand harvest in small cases of 14 kilos, strict fruit selection by 63% optical state of the art grape selection, Vistalys and 37% hand de-stemming of the grapes at our Clos Apalta Winery, gentle extraction methods and a judicious use of oak to preserve the fruit but integrate the complexity that a wine of this quality deserves. For the vintage 2012 we decided to add 15% of Carmenere to enhance the spicy character of this variety. Our Cuvee Alexandre Merlot was aged for 9 months in French oak barrels 59% in new oak; 21% in second and 20% in third used French oak barrel.TASTING NOTES Color Intense dark purple color. Nose Complex and intense nose with red and black fruit such as raspberry and blueberries. Dark plums notes and cacao aromas. Palate Round. Juicy tannins structure, balance acidity and very persistent finish. Service and Food Pairing Ready to drink now or cellar for several years. Decant for 1 hour and serve at 16C 58F. Ideal companion for meats and well seasoned dishes with a red wine demiglace such as short ribs and angus beef. – Casa Lapostolle
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