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Wine Advocate #213June 2014 IssueReviewer/taster: Luis Gutierrez

94 points

2011 Montes Alpha M

The 2011 Montes Alpha M is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with some Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. 2011 was a bit cooler than 2010, and the wine might have more edges, and a little higher acidity. I find better balance in this 2011 compared with the 2010, with nerve and acidity, volume and great balance. The nose is still closed, less expressive and benefits from air, but there is a greater sense of harmony and integration, and I think in the long run it will be a better wine. This is a classic. Drink 2015-2027.

93 points

Montes Taita 2007

The 2007 Taita 2007 is the new super-mega wine from Montes. I tasted it once with Aurelio and was impressed by its sheer power. It’s a dark and brooding, concentrated example of a Cabernet-based wine from a special soil on an old glacier which was first produced in 2007. The wine is dense and powerful, with aromas and flavors of aromatic herbs, lactic touches and aromas of blackberries, dark spices and good underlying acidity. It’s full-bodied and intense, and should live a long life in bottle. If you’re into big, concentrated, powerful wines, this one is for you. I wouldn’t touch it for at least a couple of years. Drink 2016-2022.

93 points

2011 Montes Folly

The 2011 Folly Syrah is pure Syrah from the upper slopes of the Montes vineyard in the Apalta Valley. It has a serious, somehow closed, backward nose, and it takes time to show the aromas of ripe plums, olives and raspberries as they are also covered by the notes of the wood, but the palate seems to have the stuffing to balance the wood tannins and improve in bottle. It’s quite full-bodied, with good freshness and focused varietal flavors. Give it some more time; this is a very good Syrah that requires some patience. Drink 2015-2020.

92 points

2010 Montes Alpha M

The 2010 Montes Alpha M is a typical Medoc blend of a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon with 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% of both Merlot and Petit Verdot from their vineyards in Apalta next to the winery in the Colchagua Valley. It is aged in the best French oak barrels in a magnificent cellar with Gregorian chants continuously playing through the PA system. It’s a serious, meaty Bordeaux blend with a Mediterranean accent, aromas of red and black fruit, earth and some floral undertones, a medium-bodied palate with slightly dusty tannins, good freshness and balance, and it should get polished with some more time in bottle. I tasted 1999 and 2004 and they are still young and vibrant, but obviously there are (huge) differences in oenology and viticulture, especially since 2009. Drink 2015-2025.

91 points

2011 Montes Purple Angel

The 2011 Purple Angel is Carmenere with some 8% Petit Verdot to try to balance the low acidity of the Carmenere: the Petit Verdot acting like the bones and the Carmenere would be the meat. It has abundant black fruit aromas. There is a mix from two different plots of Carmenere from Apalta (riper, more black fruit) and Marchigue (cooler, adding more peppery flavors and aromas) within Colchagua. It aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. This 2011 is still very young with roasted coffee aromas from the barrels, notes of mint, chocolate and fine-grained tannins, moderate acidity and a powerful profile. For a cool vintage like 2011, there is a remarkable absence of green aromas and flavors, achieved by low yields and managing irrigation. This is still very young and shows a primary, fruit-driven personality. It should age well and develop more complexity, as I saw in the 2003 and 2007 vintages. Drink 2015-2020.

91 points

2013 Montes Outer Limits Sauvignon Blanc

The 2013 Outer Limits Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from Aconcagua Valley from the coastal and northern zone of Zapallar, seven kilometers from the sea, which provides freshness. It’s a powerful wine, with pungent aromas extracted from the skin for some seven months contact, with a mineral feeling, akin to a Sancerre, serious and austere, with gooseberries, tomato leaves, ending again mineral and saline. This is a superb Sauvignon Blanc. The vines were planted in 2006 and the first harvest bottled was 2011. Experiment with iodine-rich seafood, like sea urchin. Uhhhmmm! Drink now-2017.