A Taste of Chile: Montes Wines

Imagine you were a grape that grew up here: in the breathtaking Colchagua Valley of central Chile…

And you were delicately harvested and fermented here: in a Feng Shui winery where water flows towards the centre of the building and sunlight radiates from above through a skylight…

And you were rested here: in a theatre-esque French barrel room where you matured for 18 months while listening to Gregorian chants…

You’d be a happy wine, right?! Carefully looked after, relaxed and – most importantly – delicious. Well, I’m thrilled to report that this heavenly wine does exist. Aptly named Purple Angel, the premium wine made from Carmenère (a grape variety once presumed extinct) is truly exquisite. And it’s been one of my “splurge wines” for the past few years ($62.95 at the LCBO). The iconic red is full-bodied, complex and expertly balanced. I recently attended an exclusive tasting seminar where I was blown away by the 2012 vintage; smooth tannins, dark fruits and bursting with character – an extraordinary wine that will only improve with age.

Produced by one of Chile’s top-rated wineries, Montes Wines, you can taste the pride and passion that’s poured into every bottle. That’s because the winemakers at this family-run winery treat each grape like their own child: giving it everything they have to help it become the best it can be. A romanticized notion, yes, but it’s a sentiment I feel every time I sip on a glass of their wines…

But the family’s love reaches far beyond the grapes: they also have huge respect and admiration for the environment. In fact, they’re leading the way in sustainable winemaking in Chile. How? Here are a few highlights: their vineyards are fertilized naturally with the compost produced by their own plant waste, they protect a native forest which absorbs all the CO2 they produce at their Apalta vineyard  (i.e. they are carbon neutral) AND they dry farm (meaning they leave it to nature to hydrate their vineyards) – pretty impressive in a country where irrigation is permitted and widely used. While not all of their wines are dry farmed (a costly process that results in half the yield), the winery manages to save over 800 million gallons of water PER YEAR through the method. Fortunately for wine-lovers, the flavour profiles of the wines are actually enhanced by the process (smaller grapes = more concentrated and complex taste). I had a chance to try the dry farmed 2012 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon ($19.95) at the tasting seminar and thought it was well-balanced and had great depth.

 

 

 

What I tasted: Blackcurrant, black cherry, dark chocolate and a hint of tobacco.

What I’d pair it with: Any red meat or rich pasta dish. Hard cheeses like Comté, Asiago and Gruyère will also pair well.

Cellaring Recommendations: Can be enjoyed now or cellared for up to ten years.

 

 

 

Needless to say, I’m kind of in love with this winery and its family of winemakers. Not only has their passion and hard work resulted in a portfolio of exceptional wines, but the steps they’ve taken to ensure sustainable production is a true testament to their devotion to the craft — an effort that will hopefully allow them to make angelic wines for generations to come.

A special thanks to Montes Wines for inviting us to their tasting seminar. As always, all reviews and opinions are entirely my own.