Lapostolle Carmenere Cuvee Alexandre Apalta Vineyard 2016

Intense and deep red in color, this wine offers expressive and intense aromas of cassis and black currant. On the palate, it is elegant with round and persistent tannins, with fresh cherry and a light toast flavor.

Great with lamb shank with herbs or pork fillet with mustard and honey.

The 2016 Cuvée Alexandre Carmenère has some 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's surprisingly fresh and clean, remarkable for a difficult harvest, especially for the late-ripening varieties. It has fine-grained tannins and rich flavors. This feels like a great improvement over previous years, and it also has less oak; they now buy used barrels from Clos Apalta. 69,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2017.