Every Friday, our local wine store hosts “Friday at Five.” It’s their version of happy hour. They provide several wines by the glass for $5 and a special $10 premium pour. Jonathan and I had never been to a Friday at Five, we usually go to the tastings on Saturday. However, this week’s e-mail stated they would have an ultra premium pour. Wine Spectator’s 2008 wine of the year, Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2005, by the glass for $15. I was sold – I had to taste!

 

The Corkscrew only had two bottles left so I knew I’d better arrive early. Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2005 is a blend of 42% Carmenère, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. This vintage was the first time Petit Verdot was added to the blend. The grapes were harvested from Colchagua Valley in Chile. The 2005 vintage featured a long, warm and dry growing season. These produced a rich, dense red wine, one of the best vintages in the country’s modern wine history. Harvest produced small, concentrated berries with pickers working well into April.

 

I wasn’t shocked when I saw this wine in the glass and found it nearly black. It was like velvet sheets wrapping the inside of the glass, thick, rich and smooth. The aromas offered flavors or licorice, currant, figs and slight hints of pepper and spice. There seemed to be an overall thickness and intensity to this wine that just pulled at the drinker. Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2005 showcased passion and a few notes of spice on the front, but finished softer on the palate than I expected. It was a delightful wine with excellent balance and smoothness.

 

As I savored this wine over the next few minutes and continued to swirl. It softened up and the flavors became a little more subdued. This wine should cellar well over the next decade.