For me, this is the best Purple Angel since 2016, another cooler, fresher vintage in Chile.Partnering Carmenère and 8% Petit Verdot, with equal parts of the blend from Apalta andMarchigüe, this has plenty of graphite and tarragon on the nose, supple, granular tannins,layers of coffee bean, chocolate and black cherry and a balanced, nuanced finish. Drink date: 2025-2036. Score - 97. (timatkin.com, Chile Special Report 2024)
Deep, opulent and rich but not overdone. Plenty of blackberries, dark chocolate and cigar box. Spices and graphite, too. Just a hint of figs. The full-bodied palate is tightly wound but tense, with tight tannins and concentrated black fruit. Really flavorful and long. Drink or hold [until 2030+]. Score - 96. (Zekun Shuai, jamessuckling.com, April 24, 2023)
Much more successful than the maiden 2019 release, largely because the 70% new wood is better integrated, Wings is an Apalta Valley assemblage of Carmenère and 15% Cabernet Franc. Plush, floral and well balanced, it has fine, sculpted tannins, black cherry, graphite and red plum flavours and a fresh, harmonious finish. Drink date: 2025-2035. [Decant for one hour to enjoy tonight.] Score - 96. (timatkin.com, Chile Special Report 2024)
Classic cabernet nose with olives and red peppers. Sweet tobacco and milk chocolate with a meaty edge. Juicy and full-bodied but quite fit, with bright acidity and some densely packed tannins. Grippy but really well-honed with an extremely long finish. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, 5% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Give it two years to let the oak settle in. Score - 97. (Zekun Shuai, jamessuckling.com, April 24, 2023)
This blend of 50% carignan, 30% grenache, and 20% mourvèdre comes from the granitic soils of Marchigüe, on the western side of the Colchagua Valley. It has very good concentration, ripe and succulent flavors, and a layer of sweet spices that seem to come from aging in barrels for a year (half the volume) atop fierce, intense tannins with a charming rusticity that's typical, especially in carignan. This is for lamb. Score - 93. (Patricio Tapia, guiadescorchados.cl, 2023)
A well-balanced carmenere showing plenty of ripe fruit as well as spices and a hint of tobacco. Eclectic style. Tannins are fine-grained on the medium- to full-bodied palate with generous, flattering fruit. Marchigue and Apalta. Drink or hold [through 2026+]. Score - 92. (Zekun Shuai, jamessuckling.com, April 24, 2023)
The 2021 Chardonnay Alpha hails from the Casablanca and was aged 12 month in French oak, 30% new. Yellow in hue. In the nose presents notes of creamed corn and green apple over a vanilla layer. Indulgent and creamy in the mouth, the heightened acidity chiseled a taut and refreshing lengthy finish. Drinking window: 2023-2028. Score - 92. (Joaquín Hidalgo, vinous.com, June 2023)
All sourced from Montes' extensive plantings in Marchigüe, the Special Cuvée bottling marries Cabernet Sauvignon with 10% Syrah and 5% Carmenère. Serious, structured and made to age in bottle, with damson and blackcurrant flavours, some violet and wild herb topnotes, plush tannins and deftly integrated oak. Drink date: 2024-2032. Score - 94. (timatkin.com, Chile Special Report 2022)
Deep nose, full of tarry blackberries, ground dark peppercorn, dark spices and dried meat. Some dried Mediterranean herbs and cocoa powder, too. Dark fruit and spices seep into the medium- to full-bodied palate with chalky tannins and a long, creamy finish. Consistently a great-value syrah from Colchagua. Drink or hold. [This astonishing value has the potential to drink for another decade or more.] Score - 93. (jamessuckling.com, June 17, 2022)