Montes Alpha M 2012
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Robert
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot.
Pair with: roast turkey, fillet,sherried kidneys, and duck confit.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A beautifully refined red with currant, spice and cedar character. Full body, fine tannins and a long and caressing finish. Drink or hold. Aged 18 months in new French oak and one year in bottle before release. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, 5% merlot and 5% petit verdot blend.
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Wine Enthusiast
Subtle, alluring aromas of earth, cola, eucalyptus, fallen leaves, black cherry and cassis properly announce this saturated, well-balanced Cabernet Sauvignon-led blend. Dark, toasty, baked flavors of blackberry come with vanilla, herb and tobacco accents. The finish feels great while tasting integrated and complex. Drink through 2024. Cellar Selection
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The concentrated and ripe 2012 Alpha M is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with some 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% each Merlot and Petit Verdot; it matured in French barriques for 18 months, which seems to be the standard in this price range. The minty Cabernet notes are there, with some bright blue fruit, Mediterranean herbs and plenty of sweet spices from the élevage. The palate is full-bodied with soft, round tannins, velvety, balanced and easy to drink; but not really exciting, quite predictable
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Wine Spectator
A lithe red, featuring a rich current of hot stone and roasted plum flavors, accented by notes of slate and Asian spice. The lively finish is loaded with mineral and white pepper accents. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2019.
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Wine &
Spirits
With the release of the first Montes Alpha wine back in 1988, Montes became one of the first premium wineries of Chile. Their premise, a clear belief that Chile had an untapped potential as a producer of quality wines, made them a benchmark for other wineries to follow. Its original four partners' total involvement and the continuous help of the angels that decorate their labels was key to their success. Two decades later, Montes is the fifth most important winery of Chile where Aurelio Montes continues leading the winemaking area with the same passion as the first day. Hard work and total focus on quality has led Montes to be one of the most successful and respected quality-driven wineries in Chile as they continue pioneering and breaking new grounds in wine.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Well-regarded for intense and exceptionally high quality red wines, the Colchagua Valley is situated in the southern part of Chile’s Rapel Valley, with many of the best vineyards lying in the foothills of the Coastal Range.
Heavy French investment and cutting-edge technology in both the vineyard and the winery has been a boon to the local viticultural industry, which already laid claim to ancient vines and a textbook Mediterranean climate.
The warm, dry growing season in the Colchagua Valley favors robust reds made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec and Syrah—in fact, some of Chile’s very best are made here. A small amount of good white wine is produced from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.