Lapostolle Apalta Red 2021

The 2021 Red Blend Apalta is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 10% Carménére, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Syrah from Apalta, Colchagua, and was aged in used barrels. An intense purple in color. The attractive nose offers plum jam, pink pepper and hints of cinnamon. In the mouth, it's both opulent and juicy with finely grained tannins. The fairly concentrated palate flows expansively before the easygoing, lingering finish. A ripe red given the cool year.

The blend of the 2021 Apalta is quite different from the 2019 I tasted last time, with 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 10% Carmenere, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Syrah. It has a lot less Cabernet and more Merlot but still with a pristine and pure Bordeaux nose, herbal, spicy and peppery. It's medium to full-bodied but fine-boned with elegant tannins. It's impressive, and even more so when you look at the price tag. 120,480 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2022.