“My father, Towle, class of 1941, had successfully brainwashed me throughout my high school years, insisting that I would never regret the ‘Cal Experience.’ He proved to be right.”īundschu vividly recalls one of those distinctly Cal experiences. “I was both excited and proud to be accepted into Cal for the fall semester of 1961,” Bundschu says. In fact, 57 years after graduation, Bundschu still feels that his time at Cal left an indelible imprint on his life.įor Bundschu, Cal spirit was a seed planted in his youth. Jim Bundschu and the Gundlach Bundschu Winery are ecstatic to share this wine with Berkeley alumni, and this most recent honor represents decades of work from Bundschu and his family. Gundlach Bundschu’s 2021 cabernet sauvignon-malbec is included in the current shipment from the Cal Alumni Association’s Graduate Wine Collective, which features wines made by Cal alumni. The wine received 95 points out of 100, a rating meaning “superb-a great achievement.” Deeming the Bordeaux-style red blend “quietly powerful,” Wine Enthusiast described the “deep, concentrated, and tannic” wine as “elegant, showing finesse in the velvety tannins, plush black currants and black cherries, and layered-in oak spices of vanilla, cocoa, toast, and mint.” Wines of Chile was founded in July 2002 to position Chilean wine around the world through strategic marketing and promotional activities.Wine Enthusiast has named Gundlach Bundschu’s 2021 cabernet sauvignon-malbec one of its Enthusiast 100-The Best Wines of 2023. Wines of Chile is a promotional body that represents 77 Chilean wineries with offices in Santiago, London and New York. 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. Today, Casa Lapostolle is 100% owned by the Marnier-Lapostolle group. 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. Carmenere, Chile’s unique varietal, has also shown to be popular in the US, growing by 9% so far in 2008. 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.

Historically, Chile has been known to produce great Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends. 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%. 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. 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.”Ĭhile’s rise as a quality-driven producer can also be seen in the recent growth Chilean wines have experienced in the US market. “You can call it terroir-based viticulture or site-specific winemaking. “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. It’s also among a handful of wines that have proven the country can produce world-class reds.”

The Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta has taken Chile’s signature grape, Carmenere, to new heights.

“The prestige of these awards is being felt throughout the Chilean wine industry and we are very grateful for Casa Lapostolle’s admirable leadership.”Īccording 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. Somavía, Managing Director of Wines of Chile. “The recent awards that have been bestowed upon Casa Lapostolle are testament to the fact that Chile has officially arrived,” said Juan A. 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. In addition to receiving this prestigious recognition, Casa Lapostolle was also named “New World Winery of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast. Out of the 19,500 wines that were blind tasted by the magazine this year, Clos Apalta was awarded the top ranking. 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.

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