Review: 2019 Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Cabernet Sauvignon
Chile’s Lapostolle has a wide range of wines ranging from $15 carmenere to over-$100 blends. This bottling drinks like the higher tier, though it’s priced quite affordably at $25.
The wine (85% cabernet plus some carmenere and cabernet franc) is rich and soulful, an iconic cab-heavy study of currants and turned earth, licorice and spice box. Notes of cedar, dark chocolate, and a hint of spearmint give the wine a real wintry character, the finish running to notes of graphite and asphalt — gently, filtered through dried currant and dried cherry notes. There’s a tannic grip and a certain austerity here, but the conclusion keeps things focused on the fruit. All told, there’s more complexity here than you would expect.
A- / $25