Best Red Wine Under $50? Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2001, Chile
Apr 02 '04
The Bottom Line Rated "95" by Wine Spectator Magazine. Excellent value for the price, but I rate lower.
The 2001 release of Casa Lapostolle's Clos Apalta is rated by Wine Spectator Magazine as a remarkable 95 Point wine. (A "Classic"; the highest wine rating available.)
This Chilean red caught my interest when I first saw that the affordably priced 2000 vintage scored a "94" and was ranked at #3 on the list of "Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines for 2003."
Flatteringly praised as both a "stunner" and a "seductive" wine, I could barely resist the temptation to buy a couple of bottles of the 2001 release when I spied it on sale at a local Costo market for about $40 per bottle.
Casa Lapostolle "Clos Apalta" 2001
Apalta Vineyard, Colchagua ~ Limited Edition
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Alcohol: About 14.0% ABV.
Production: A Bordeaux-style blend of fruit from old vines of Carmenère, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Colchagua appellation of Chile's Rapel Valley. Blended with Merlot and Carmenère from vineyards that were planted as recently as 5 years ago.
Appearance: Beautiful in the glass and clean looking (though it is unfined and unfiltered). A silky, irridescent dark crimson. 5/5
Aroma: Cherry and chocolate nose with smoky oak vanillin and a light hint of anise and sweetened tobacco. Interesting and attractive. 18/20
Flavor/Body: Coats with mouth with a thick fruit smear of blackberry, plum and butter. Tannins that are almost creamy. Complex black fruit flavors with a slight suggestion of tobacco and tar. 37/40
Finish: Long, complex dark fruit finish with dark chocolate and a light kiss of spice and black tea. This is a heavy wine (14% ABV), though one experiences little in the way of alcohol heat. 9/10
Overall: 23/25. An excellent wine that is quite obviously well made. My chief complaint, if I dare complain about anything, is that it has a richness and a kind of buttery heaviness that makes this wine very filling and heavy in the stomach. It is "over-voluptuous." This wine would benefit, to my taste, if it featured a slightly brighter flavor of fresh red berry fruit.
My score: 92. 4¾ stars. Excellent.
Recommendation: An excellent wine that I enjoyed on its own with no food accompaniment. For the wine lover, this wine would make a great gift. Attractively labeled and bottled, this wine looks like it costs twice as much as you'll pay for it. There's quality in every aspect of its production. There's so much quality evident that--not knowing any better--you'd think that Chile is the wine capital of the world. And maybe it is... at least in the world of affordable wines of extraordinary quality.
Price and Availability: Limited production. I purchased two bottles of this wine at a Costo store in Ontario, California. Imported by Marnier-Lapostolle Co., New York. Sole U.S. Distributor is Schiefflein & Somerset Co., New York. I paid about $43 per bottle, including sales tax--which price is appreciably less than some other retailers who are offering this wine at about $60.00 per bottle.
Would I buy more? I am not sure. This wine, for its quality, is reasonably priced. But a wine that I liked just as well (my score: 91), for about half the money, comes from Spain: Emilio Moro 2000 a bold red from the Ribera del Duero wine region. This is a muscular wine with intense cherry, black plum, blackberry and vanilla flavors; silky tannins and toasted raspberry fruit in the finish. Aged 12 months in French and American oak. This wine has a muscular structure that works well when paired with grilled meats. Ranked at #91 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines of 2003, I paid about $20 a bottle at Costco. I would buy this wine again... and would buy more of it before buying the Clos Apalta. It (the Emilio Moro) is a wine that I believe would be appreciated by a wider audience of wine enthusiasts. Give it a try!
For a great value under $10, try the 2002 Concha y Toro Merlot "Xplorador" -- also from Chile's Rapel Valley (Wine Spectator rated "87" - Very Good). I shared a bottle of this wine with my wife last weekend at Datillo's Restaurant in Whittier, California (where it was priced at almost 3-times retail but still a value; worked great with my meal of filet mignon).
Cheers!
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Member: Tom Carr
Location: Southern California
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