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Chilean Winery Tops Charts in Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast

November 25, 2008
wines of chile.jpgNovember 25, 2008 - New York, NY. The Chilean wine industry received an international honor last week when Wine Spectator chose Casa Lapostolle’s Clos Apalta 2005 as the best “Wine of the Year” for 2008. Out of the 19,500 wines that were blind tasted by the magazine this year, Clos Apalta was awarded the top ranking. In addition to receiving this prestigious recognition, Casa Lapostolle was also named “New World Winery of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast. While these awards serve to celebrate Casa Lapostolle’s remarkable accomplishments, they also underscore the tremendous progress Chile has made in terms of quality winemaking.

“The recent awards that have been bestowed upon Casa Lapostolle are testament to the fact that Chile has officially arrived,” said Juan A. Somavía, Managing Director of Wines of Chile. “The prestige of these awards is being felt throughout the Chilean wine industry and we are very grateful for Casa Lapostolle’s admirable leadership.”

According to James Molesworth, Senior Editor of Wine Spectator, ”For some folks Chilean wine might not be on a par with France or California or Italy, but our wine of the year might make you rethink that. The Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta has taken Chile’s signature grape, Carmenere, to new heights. It’s also among a handful of wines that have proven the country can produce world-class reds.”

“Over the past decade, the Chilean wine industry has shown a strong commitment to making wines that reflect their place of origin,” writes Michael Schachner, Contributing Editor to Wine Enthusiast. “You can call it terroir-based viticulture or site-specific winemaking. But regardless of what you call it, much of the credit for pushing the country toward making wines that convey a sense of place should go to Casa Lapostolle.”

Chile’s rise as a quality-driven producer can also be seen in the recent growth Chilean wines have experienced in the US market. In 2007, Chile’s bottled wine exports to the US grew by 8% in volume while increasing by 15% in value, according to the December 2007 Gomberg-Fredrikson Report. The Chilean government reports that through September 2008, the volume has continued to show steady growth of 4.2% and the value has outpaced the volume, increasing by 6.2%.

Historically, Chile has been known to produce great Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends. However, consumers are now beginning to explore Chile’s Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc, each of which has grown by 41%, 33%, and 22%, respectively in 2008. Carmenere, Chile’s unique varietal, has also shown to be popular in the US, growing by 9% so far in 2008.

About Casa Lapostolle
The Marnier Lapostolle family from France and the Rabat family from Chile founded Casa Lapostolle in 1994, through a partnership between Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle, her husband Cyril de Bournet and Don José Rabat Gorchs. Today, Casa Lapostolle is 100% owned by the Marnier-Lapostolle group. The Marnier Lapostolle family, founders and owners of the world-renowned liqueur Grand Marnier, are known for producing spirits and liqueurs, but the family has also been involved in winemaking for generations.

About Wines of Chile
Wines of Chile is a promotional body that represents 77 Chilean wineries with offices in Santiago, London and New York. Its members belong to Vinos de Chile. Wines of Chile was founded in July 2002 to position Chilean wine around the world through strategic marketing and promotional activities. www.winesofchile.org

To view the articles, please visit the following links:

Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2008

Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards