Clos Apalta : Prelude 2024

Characteristics and tasting tips for Prelude 2024 from Clos Apalta

Tasting

Colour
This wine displays a deep, remarkably bright purplish-red colour.

Nose
The bouquet is highly expressive, releasing generous aromas of black fruit intertwined with herbal and spicy notes.

Palate
The palate reveals a medium body with a beautifully polished texture. Round, juicy tannins carry through to a finish of fine persistence.

Serving and cellaring
Thanks to the exceptional climatic conditions of its terroir, which encourage slow ripening, Prelude 2024 has excellent ageing potential.

The elegance of a great Chilean wine in the heart of the Colchagua Valley

The estate
Founded in 1994 by Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and her husband, Clos Apalta covers 160 hectares, including 53 hectares of carefully selected vines, in the Colchagua Valley, a prestigious appellation within the vast Central Valley region. Today, the estate is run by the Bournet-Lapostolle family, led by Charles de Bournet. Heir to a long-standing French tradition in spirits, the family has made its mark internationally by crafting exceptional Chilean wines. The estate stands out for its organic viticulture and biodynamic approach, which have placed its cuvées among the most acclaimed in the world.

The vineyard
Located in the Colchagua Valley, 170 kilometres south-west of Santiago, the terroir benefits from a rare north–south orientation. Sheltered by the Tinguiririca River and the Coastal Range, which tempers the intensity of the sun, the vines enjoy a semi-arid Mediterranean climate with wide diurnal temperature variations. The very old soils, dating back to the Cretaceous period, offer excellent drainage on slopes of 2 to 15%. They are composed of granite, clay, sandy loam and quartz gravel. The vineyard, certified organic and sustainable, is home to historic plots planted as early as 1907, trained in double Guyot, with yields limited to 4.0 t/ha.

The vintage
The 2024 vintage in the Central Valley was marked by a cool, wet growing season. Winter brought abundant rainfall, followed by an equally rainy spring. Temperatures remained moderately cool throughout the growing cycle, with no frost or heatwaves. These mild conditions led to slow ripening of the berries and a later harvest than usual. As a result, yields for this vintage were around 10% below the usual average.

Vinification and ageing
The harvest took place from 18 March to 3 May. In the cellar, the making of Prelude 2024 begins with a four- to five-week maceration with manual punch-downs. Fermentation takes place in 75-hectolitre French oak vats at a controlled temperature of 28 to 30°C. The wine is then aged for 17 months in French oak barrels, 10% new and 90% second- and third-fill. Bottling is scheduled for January 2026.

Grape varieties
64% Carmenere, 18% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc