Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Merlot

Wine information: Lapostolle was founded by Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and her husband Cyril de Bournet in 1994. The Marnier Lapostolle family, founders and owners of the world-renowned liqueur Grand Marnier, is famous for producing spirits and liqueurs, but the family has also been involved in winemaking for generations. In creating Lapostolle, the family has pursued the same uncompromising approach to quality that made Grand Marnier a global success. Its objective is as simple as it is ambitious: to create world-class wines using French expertise and the superb terroirs of Chile Today, Lapostolle owns 370 hectares in three different vineyards and produce a total of 200.000 cases spread over Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère, and Syrah. Lapostolle winery is located in the town of Cunaco, right next to Santa Cruz. It is the original winery, where Lapostolle was founded in 1994 and today it is here where both the Casa and Cuvée Alexandre wines are produced. With a traditional Chilean old hacienda style, it has a production capacity of 3,300,000 litres in stainless steel and French oak tanks, and more than 3.500 French Oak Barrels. After many years of hard work at Lapostolle, they finally completed the organic certification process for all our three vineyard properties. On September 30, 2011, the registered and accredited German-based environmental certification company CERES – Certification of Environmental Standards – authorized all Lapostolle estates in compliance with Chilean, North American, and European required standard. Today all three of Lapostolle's estates – Atalayas, Las Kuras and Apalta – do not use any artificial fertilizers, chemical pesticides, herbicides, plant growth regulators or genetically modified organisms. Instead they have integrated animals, bees, organic compost, recycling and the proper treatment of water, among many other tactics, to fulfill our vineyard management and winemaking duties. Lapostolle have just release the Cuvée Alexandre Syrah Los Kuras 2009, the inaugural wine from the portfolio to be officially certified Made with Organic Grapes.

The grapes for this wine come from non-irrigated 60 year old vines at Casa Lapostolle's Apalta Vineyard, Colchagua Valley, Rapel, Chile. It is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Carmenère and all the wine was aged in French oak Bordeaux barrels for 11 months (40% new oak and 60% second and third fill barrels).

Tasting Notes: Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Merlot is a dense and intense red ruby colour. Complex and attractive nose of blackberries and cherries, intermixed with vanilla, black chocolate, black pepper and toasty notes. In the mouth the wine is full bodied, with an explosive richness. Great notes of fleshy cassis, black cherry fruit and nicely integrated oak. The smooth tannins give the wine a solid and wellstructured character. The wine can be enjoyed now, but will surely benefit from aging a few years in a cellar.

 
     

Enter your e-mail address and click the button to opt into the Fareham Wine Cellar mailing list: