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| The Wine Guy in Montanita, Ecuador |
For a number of years now, The Wine Guy has been a fan of Montes Wine from Chile. One of the first really good moderately priced Cabernet Sauvignons I truly enjoyed was a Montes Alpha Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon. Priced in the low $20's back in the US, it was a thoroughly enjoyable wine with a delightful lingering finish. It was this wine that first garnered the world's attention to the quality of Montes wines and it has consistently scored ratings near or above the 90 point mark on a regular basis.
The fact is that I have yet to open a bottle of Montes wine that hasn't been enjoyable so it has become a go-to-brand for me. I'll let you if they ever fail to please...so far they haven't. It is little wonder that the partnership that formed Montes in the late 80's has expanded to locations in three countries and is currently distributed to over 75 countries on five continents. Three of the five partners have been named emeritus members of the Chilean Wine Guild. They make and distribute good wine on a very consistent basis!
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| Montes winery images borrowed from www.monteswines.com |
Aurelio Montes, the chief winemaker and chairman who lends his name to the flagship brands is an accomplished winemaker and is at his best in creating red blends. The Montes Alpha M rivals many a good Bordeaux with its classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Star Angel by Montes is produced at the company's Paso Robles winery and it has a great combination of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. The 2007 vintage earned kudos and a 92 point rating late last year from Wine Spectator. The company has three vineyards now in Napa Valley and you can look for some good Cabernet Sauvignons under the Napa Angel label. Of course, Aurelio also excels in creating some classic South American wines.The Kaiken Malbec brand is fairly well known in the US and helped lead the explosion in Malbec popularity that occurred a few years ago. Kaiken sources high altitude Malbec grapes from both the Argentine and Chilean sides of the Andes. Kaiken Corte offers a very special blend of Malbec, Bonarda and Petit Verdot.
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| A current Wine Guy choice in red wine: Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere blend |
A little judicious usage of Petit Verdot can add a
lot to a wine and that certainly shows in Montes Purple Angel, which adds the complexity of the Petit Verdot with the deliciously smooth Camenere.
lot to a wine and that certainly shows in Montes Purple Angel, which adds the complexity of the Petit Verdot with the deliciously smooth Camenere.
The Wine Guy currently has been enjoying (and sharing with friends) another Montes blend, the Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere. It has been fairly available here in my hometown of Cuenca, Ecuador and is a great multi-purpose red blend that doesn't break the wine budget (that's hard not to do in a country whose import duties on alcohol are extremely high!).
In short, if you're wanting to explore some new wine choices, look for a Montes produced wine...your chances of making an enjoyable discovery are probably fairly good!
Sainte!
