Montes Alpha Colchagua Carmenère 2022
£14.75
The wine
Deep ruby with violet hues, opening on intense plum, cherry and cassis mixed with sweet spice and dark chocolate. The toasted flavours from oak are balanced on the palate.
Carmenère is Chile signature red, a Bordeaux variety believed extinct after phylloxera until DNA testing in 1994 found it growing across Chile, mistaken for Merlot. It ripens very late and needs a long, dry autumn, which Apalta and Marchigüe provide. Hand harvested into 300kg bins with manual bunch selection.
The producer
Montes
View all Montes winesFounded in 1988, Montes helped redefine what Chilean wine could be, proving the country capable of world-class quality. From humble beginnings it has grown into one of Chile's most admired and internationally recognised producers, celebrated for ambition, consistency and a pioneering spirit.
Montes draws on carefully chosen sites across Chile's finest regions, from the warm slopes of Colchagua and Apalta to the cool, coastal Aconcagua Costa and Leyda. The estate farms sustainably and champions gravity-flow winemaking and hillside planting, always seeking greater elegance and freshness.
The portfolio climbs from the bright, everyday Classic Series and cool-climate Limited Selection through the polished Alpha range to a trio of icons: the acclaimed Carménère-led Purple Angel, the single-vineyard Folly Syrah and the flagship Bordeaux blend Alpha M, with the rare Taita at the summit.
Confident, generous and impeccably made, Montes wines combine ripe Chilean fruit with genuine finesse. Whether an easy midweek red or a cellar-worthy icon, each bottle reflects the vision and quality that made Montes a benchmark for the New World.
