2022 Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvee Alexandre Apalta Valley Chile 750 ml

Lapostolle is Chile’s most important red wine producer, a legendary estate whose $170 (often 100-point) Clos Apalta bottling sets the bar for the region. But they should be equally lauded for the outrageous quality they pack into everyday bottles like their 2022 Cuvée Alexandre Cabernet.

Grown on a biodynamically farmed vineyard first planted in 1920, made under the guidance of 100-point winemaking icon Michel Rolland, this Cab is concentrated and bold: Plenty of blackcurrants, ripe blackberries, and plums mix with cacao nibs, iron, and the subtle spice and vanilla that comes from top-tier French oak. 

We met Charles-Henri de Bournet Marnier Lapostolle, the owner of Clos Apalta, a few years ago at a James Suckling South America event. As is often the case, the vintner resembles the wine: a polished and aristocratic exterior (we wish we could afford his tailor) concealing a burning intensity and intelligence. 

His parents founded the original estate in 1994, acquiring 74 acres of vines high in the Colchagua Valley’s Apalta Valley—some of the most coveted terroir in South America. This 2022 Cuvée Alexandre emerges from the estate's prized Apalta vineyards, where dramatic slopes and poor, rocky soils naturally restrict yields and intensify flavors. Here, at the foothills of the Andes Mountains, old vines sink their roots deep into mineral-rich soils, creating wines of remarkable complexity.

Under the guidance of technical director Jacques Begarie, Lapostolle maintains a steadfast commitment to sustainable viticulture. The winery achieved organic certification in 2011, followed by biodynamic practices that honor the estate's unique microclimate and biodiversity. These methods not only enhance the expression of terroir but represent the family's multi-generational vision for environmental stewardship.