What Montes Wines should I buy?
- Montes Alpha Pinot Noir
- Montes Alpha Malbec
- Montes Alpha Merlot
- Montes Alpha Syrah
- Montes Limited Selection Pinot Noir
- Montes Alpha Special Cuvée Chardonnay
- Montes Purple Angel Carmenère
Montes, a winery located in the prestigious wine region of Apalta, is the leading producer — some even call them the pioneer — of high-end Chilean wines. It’s a large winery, exporting top vinos to more than 100 countries around the world, including our own. Under Montes wine is a wide range of reds and whites, including the classic varieties of Syrah and Carmenere, Merlot, and Chardonnay.
If you’re interested in tasting the best of the best of Montes wines, then read on. We have curated a choice selection from this Chilean icon, from everyday drinking wines to their most famous bottles.
Montes Alpha Pinot Noir
The Montes Alpha line is the flagship brand of the winery and denotes a line of premium wines with a distinctive structure and style.
From this line is the Montes Alpha Pinot Noir, a vintage that shows great character. It has a deep ruby-red color, and its nose is ripe with scents of fresh wild fruit and tart cherry, followed closely by subtle notes of earth and flowers.
40% of this Pinot Noir wine was aged in French oak barrels for 10–12 months, which creates a spicy sweet edge and notes of vanilla and nutmeg. Its profile is beautifully balanced too, with a medium body, vibrant acidity, juiciness, and round tannins. As such, this wine comes highly recommended as a pair for pesto or cream-based dishes, as well as salmon and veal.
Montes Alpha Malbec
Another excellent choice from their Alpha wine selection is the Montes Alpha Malbec. On the nose is an intense, elegant, and complex aroma — wherein notes of red and black berries stand most prominently over a backdrop of floral violets.
On the palate, it’s a balanced wine. Toasted flavors, dulce de leche, and hints of dairy vanilla can be enjoyed here. This wine also has a rich acidity and finishes with a smooth, pleasing, and long-lasting sensation. One thing to note is that this bottle can be enjoyed now, or aged in a cellar for 10 or more years.
Montes Alpha Merlot
Good news for Merlot fans — Montes also makes high-quality Merlot wine that embodies the softness and approachability that we love about this variety.
The Montes Alpha Merlot has an intense ruby color, with a slightly violet rim. It has a complex bouquet of ripe fruits, such as blackberries and plums candied in syrup. Notes of spice and red pepper follow, finishing with a touch of tobacco and leather.
This Merlot is very well-structured, offering good, generous volume on the palate as well as smooth and round tannins. This is a very good wine to enjoy now with a meal of grilled pork and chicken, or over the course of the next 10 years.
Montes Alpha Syrah
Grown in the Colchagua Valley, our Montes Alpha Syrah shows a very aromatic and potent nose of ripe black fruit, crème de cassis, leather, and dark chocolate — an elegant scent characteristic of this kind of Syrah.
Other notes of fig, blueberry, and even sweet spices of baked goods go well with its aged flavor profile. Thanks to a 12-month aging period, it has a nice level of toast. The Syrah also presents incredibly smooth tannins, tremendous structure, and generous volume. This bottle is just begging to be paired with succulent red meats such as beef or lamb, or pasta with tomato-based sauces.
Montes Limited Selection Pinot Noir
The Montes Limited Selection is a line of premium vinos, renowned for their seductive, voluptuous, smooth, and satisfying character.
Of them, we recommend the Montes Limited Selection Pinot Noir. This wine has a ruby red color and lively highlights. It has an expressive scent, with intense notes of sour cherry, fresh strawberry, smooth caramel, and wild herbs.
On the palate, this Pinot Noir is balanced, rich, and full of natural acidity, making it a juicy and well-structured wine. There is also a nice sensation of sweetness in every sip, as well as a good staying power. It finishes with a fruity touch and is in line with the sensations on the nose. We recommend pairing this wine with dishes such as clams, salmon ceviche, and shrimps and garlic.
Montes Alpha Special Cuvée Chardonnay
The Special Cuvée collection is a new milestone for the Montes winery, a result of their self-imposed challenge to further raise the bar on the quality and superiority of their Chilean wines.
We highly recommend the Montes Alpha Special Cuvée Chardonnay. It has a medium gold color, an intense nose, and a medium body. The most prominent scents include vanilla, toasted hazelnuts, ripe papaya, and honeydew melon, followed by hints of chamomile and dairy. Its palate is creamy, with a delicate acidity that mirrors its aromas very well.
This Chardonnay wine pairs well with salmon, lobster, and fresh shellfish. It also goes wonderfully with ripe cheeses, white meats with light sauces, and pasta.
Montes Purple Angel Carmenère
Montes’ flagship — and one of Chile’s most famous wines — is Montes’ Purple Angel Carmenère. Critics all over the world have dubbed this Montes wine as one “from another planet."
It has an elegant nose, with delicate aromas of ripe red and black berries over a background of sweetness, and hints of smoke. On the mouth, it is a full-bodied and smooth wine, with a considerable amount of ripe tannins that give it much grip and structure. Being stored in French oak barrels for 18 months adds notes of coffee and dark chocolate, which go with its fruit-forward taste.
Key Takeaway
Montes wines come from a Chilean pioneer, recognized for their quality. This winery is essentially what put the Chilean region on the map for wine lovers everywhere. Use our list of recommended wines to sample some of the best that the winery has to offer.
Didn’t find something to your tastes here? We carry even more great bottles from Montes in our online shop. Click here to see Ralph’s Wine & Spirits’ full Montes Collection or Ralph's full collection of wine in the Philippines.
Author’s Note: This entry was optimized by the best SEO Services Agency in the Philippines – SEO Hacker
