Our winemaking philosophy is to reflect the terroir from Apalta by crafting a wine based in Carmenère. We hand harvest the fruit in small cases of 14 kilos. The grapes are 100% hand de-stemmed in our Clos Apalta Winery so we maintain complete control of the quality. 95% of grapes were fermented in our French oak vats while 5% was fermented In new French oak barrels.

At Clos Apalta, we select harvest dates based on the grape ripeness of each plot and its exposure. Regular tasting is carried out to monitor the development of the fruit, skins and tannins. We therefore began harvesting the first Merlot in La Campana on 10th March and finished on 7th April. The Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested between 18th March and 11th April. Once again, this wide range of harvest dates stems from the fact that we have plantations in the mountain foothills and old pre-phylloxera ‘dry farmed’ Cabernet vines in other terroirs. For Carmenère, our harvests began on the Colibri plot on 12th April. Mid-April rains prompted us to push hard and bring in all the remaining grapes over the following week. Low yields, green pruning such as leaf and crop thinning, and biodynamic practices enabled us to harvest grapes at perfect levels of ripeness and in a perfect state of health.