Lapostolle put down roots in Apalta in 1994 after stumbling onto a clos of hundred-year-old pre-phylloxera vines, and they've farmed it biodynamically ever since. The 2023 Carmenere comes in deep purple-red, with maqui berry and red pepper on the nose alongside a lick of vanilla and dill; the palate is wide and round-tannined, medium acidity carrying sarsaparilla and dark fruit through a medium-long finish. This is Carmenere with a real address.
Tasting Notes
Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Carmenére boasts a complex nose with red and black fruit, spice, herbal, and vanilla aromas. Bright and vivid, it is harvested late in the season, producing a medium structure with juicy, round tannins. Pair Carmenére with dishes such as rabbit or four-cheese pasta with grated truffles. Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Carmenére can be cellared for several years.
Professional Ratings
91
VinousThe 2023 Carmenere Cuvee Alexandre Lapostolle if 89% Carmenere, 6% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, all from Apalta. This aged for 13 months in second-and third-use 225-liter French oak barrels. It opens with red fruit, plum and ripe blackberry, with soft oak and gentle spice. What stands out is the restrained palate – elegant and finely grippy with a subtle cling, delivering the finesse of Chile in a warm year. Delicate pyrazines appear on the finish.
90
Wine AdvocateContaining 6% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 Cuvée Alexandre Carmenère introduces itself with a dark-fruited, plummy nose with a subtle herbal tint and graphite flourishes. The palate is lush yet silky and streamlined in profile, concluding with a long, elegantly structured finish of delineated tannins.
About the Producer
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.
