Montes Alpha Carmenere

Montes Alpha Carmenere is deep ruby red in colour. The intense nose offers pleasing notes of ripe black and red fruits such as blackberries, figs, and dried plums. Spicy notes of nutmeg and black pepper lie over a back of tobacco and leather with a subtle balsamic aroma that envelops aromas of pastry and dark chocolate.
The palate is well balanced, lush, and structured, while soft tannins lend the wine a sweet sensation that opens way to a long and very elegant finish.

The Carmenère grapes come from Montes' own vineyards in Apalta and Marchigüe, arguably two of the finest sites in the Colchagua Valley. The sites are irrigated via a 'Sustainable Dry Farmed' system which allows for precise and minimal irrigating. In Apalta, vines are planted on 45° slopes, providing good exposure to achieve ripeness. Cool ocean breezes and low night-time temperatures help to moderate this warm area, allowing for slow ripening. Marchigüe is slightly cooler because of its closer proximity to the ocean. Conditions are dry, with the region lying in the rain shadow of the Coastal Range, reducing the threat of fungal disease and resulting in consistently healthy harvests.

The 2015-2016 season began with a normal winter in terms of precipitation, followed by a cool spring that enabled optimal budbreak and foliage development. Rainfall in October meant soils had correct levels of moisture to support growth throughout the rest of the season. The summer also began very cool, but February was one of the hottest in recent years. March was colder, which slowed ripening by 2 or 3 weeks, although the weather conditions were favourable up until harvest.

Background:-

Montes was established in 1988 by Aurelio Montes, Douglas Murray, Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand, with the aim to produce the best wines in Chile from the best regions.

The Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon, first produced in 1987, broke the mould for premium wines in Chile. Since then, Alpha has gone from being a wine to being the core range in the Montes portfolio.

The grapes and sites are carefully selected in order to ensure varietal integrity and complexity . Viticulture is hands on and individual rather than mechanical and industrial.

The result is a range of wines that offer superb value within the premium wine market - whether from Chile or anywhere else. http://www.monteswines.com/en/

• The history:-

• Montes seems like a dream, and that’s truly how it began, gradually becoming reality. It was in 1987 that our two original founders, Aurelio Montes and Douglas Murray, both highly experienced wine professionals, wanted to realize their dream of producing Chilean wines a quantum-leap higher in quality than the standards of the time. In 1988, they joined up with the other two founders, Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand, who brought their own complementary skills and expertise to the venture. And thus Montes was born, at first under the name Discover Wine. It was a dream come true for four great visionaries who succeeded in taking Montes wines from nowhere to more than 100 countries worldwide; by making ‘first growth’ wines respected and admired by the world’s critics and trade, and by drawing attention to what Chile was capable of producing. After we created the first Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon - through hard work and passion - it didn’t take long to achieve recognition. It was a mould-breaking wine that immediately raised the bar for other Chilean producers. Concentrated, complex and stylish, its success was

Montes Alpha Carmenere - Hay Wines