Montes Wines

Colchagua lies within Rapel, one of Chile's five major growing regions. From Santiago it's an easy 150- kilometre drive south along the Pan-American Highway. At San Fernando you turn west toward the Pacific Ocean and go another 40 kilometres to Santa Cruz, the heart of Colchagua. The valley has almost 20,000 acres of vines, planted by the brightest names in Chilean wine, so Colchagua is the place to look for Chile's best in 2002. That is, unless you live in B.C., where the monopoly's listings regime tends to reward wine already inside the system as opposed to what's new and exciting. That why top Colchagua labels such as Altura (made by Casa Silva), 20 Barrel Merlot (from Cono Sur), Clos Apalta (Lapostolle), Dona Bernarda (Luis Felipe Edwards), El Crucero Reserva (Siegel - El Crucero), Le Dix (Los Vascos), Montes Alpha M (Montes), Viu 1 (Viu Manent) and Ninquèn (MontGras) are seldom seen in these parts. One producer that has carved out a significant presence in Colchagua is Viña Montes, because winemaker and part-owner Aurelio Montes bought a farm there, at Apalta, in 1990. The east-west valley afforded Montes everything he wanted in a vineyard: poor soil, too many rocks, good drainage, minimal irrigation and unhappy plants. As unlikely as it might seem at first, it's a formula for producing fine wines. By the end of the decade Montes M (a cabernet blend) and Montes Folly (a superstar syrah) found themselves among Chile's very best wines, vindicating the winemaker's vision and solidifying Colchagua's reputation as one of its best wine regions. Today, a look at a series of Montes labels (most originating in Apalta) that are currently listed or about to arrive in B.C. Few chardonnays are produced from 50-year-old vines, but that's the case with the Montes Alpha Chardonnay. Aurelio Montes tries to accentuate the fruit by using only 25 per cent new French oak for aging; the rest of the wood, while French, is a mix of one-, two- and three-year-old barrels. Look for ripe melon, vanilla and butterscotch flavours, with a streak of pineapple, too. It's a blockbuster white that reminds me of old-style California chardonnay. The finish is flabby and tastes of buttered popcorn. Bring on the newer vintages, please. The 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon/Carménère is a 70-30 blend that opens with smoky, gamy, fried green beans aromas mixed with cassis. Its round smoky, coffee, cassis and black-cherry flavours make it a hit in the mouth. Big flavours and firm tannins suggest it's best with food, but this one will be even better as it ages over the next three to five years. The Montes Cabernet's sought-after Colchagua appellation is reason enough to pick it up. Add in that's from the highly regarded 1999 vintage plus a price of $13.95, and you have a winner. Of course it doesn't hurt to know it tastes fine, too. Plenty of ripe, blackcurrant fruit fades into a smoky, earthy finish. This is as good as it gets for the price. Big, dark and alcoholic - that's my assessment of the 1998 Montes Alpha Cabernet. In the aromas and flavours, compost and prunes mix with resin, cassis and hints of barnyard, spice and vanilla. The styling is more Bordeaux than California, but it suffers a bit from what many consider an inferior vintage for cabernet. A recent tasting of the 1999 shows it to be much superior (it should arrive in B.C. by summer). The winery's first syrah was made in 1999 and showed great promise. The Montes Alpha 2000 Syrah is even better, thanks to very low yields and a sparse, stony, high altitude vineyard. It's aged in French oak for one year and gets a soft filtering. Montes has added 10 per cent cabernet, also from Apalta, to the final blend. It has a great aroma, with floral, tobacco and leather notes. It's strong and full bodied on the palate, with soft and mature tannins. A very long, elegant and satisfying aftertaste makes this a superb syrah. Montes Alpha "M" (coming soon to specialty stores) is mostly cabernet sauvignon (80 per cent) with 10 per cent each of merlot and cabernet franc. It is a rich, powerful wine that comes from 100-year-old vines. Blackcurrants, chocolate and cigar-box aromas lead the way, and big tannins bring up the finish. This red will need another seven to 10 years to mature in bottle and settle down. Definitely one for the cellar. Weekend Wine Tasting: Montes Wines, Chile Wine 1998 Montes Alpha Chardonnay Curicó Valley Price $26.95 Stock No. 390203 Score 15.5/20 Remarks Buttered popcorn and pineapples. Wine 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon-Carmenère Apalta Vineyard Price $19.95 Stock No. 603530 Score 14.5/20 Remarks Coffee, cassis, black cherries. Wine 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Price $13.95 Stock No. 464479 Score 15.5/20 Remarks Rich, red, affordable. Wine 1998 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon Price $26.95 Stock No. 322586 Score 13.5/20 Remarks Big, awkward red. Wine 2000 Montes Alpha Syrah, La Finca Estate Price $31.45 Stock No. 603548 Score 17/20 Remarks France's Hermitage meets Colchagua. Wine 1999 Montes Alpha M, La Finca Estate Price $89.50 Stock No. To be issued. Score 18/20 Remarks One for the cellar.