Deep purple-black color; blueberry, blackberry, black cherry, raspberry, plum, bell pepper, chocolate, oak, tobacco, balsamic, earth on the nose and palate.
Dry; round, tasty tannins; balancing acidity. Medium body. Because of my previous experience with carménère, including from Montes, I decanted. Not required because of high tannins, but because air softened and integrated the dark fruits. The winery recommends decanting for at least one hour. Blend of 85% carménère, 15% cabernet franc. The cab franc contributes nice structure and is an excellent complement to the carménère—Chile’s signature grape. Montes includes a small amount of a blending grape in each of their three carménère offerings. 14.5% ABV
Oak is noticeable but not obnoxious. 80% of the wine aged for 16 months in new French barrels, the remainder in second and third-use barrels. Montes Wings is the latest carménère effort from Montes. It comes from higher elevation blocks on slopes. Previous Montes carménères were planted lower and on flatlands. The grape can be vexing, especially since it matures up to a month later than other major red grapes, but Montes has figured it out.
Viña Montes is a Chilean success story. It began in 1987 with founders Aurelio Montes and Douglas Murray, both experienced wine professionals. They were joined the next year by Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand, who brought business skills. From the beginning, Montes wanted to build itself without help of non-Chilean experts and to focus on high quality wines with a large export focus. Today, Montes sells in more than 100 countries world wide. When Montes began exporting, only 13 other Chilean wineries sold outside Chile. Today, the number is more than 200.
Viña Montes asserts wine making is 80% in the vineyard and 20% in the cellar, which is excellent approach and is married to sustainable agriculture. Harvest at the precisely correct time is a particular emphasis. Viña Montes dry farms its vineyards, reducing water use by 65% over earlier vintages. They emphasize responsible waste management, deep research into sustainable practices, and social responsibility. They obtained Level A in GRI sustainability in 2012 (for 2011 vintage) and maintain it today.
There is a story behind the angels on the Montes labels. Aurelio Montes Sr. (his son, Aurelio Jr. runs the winery today) loved guardian angels and had several statues in his home and the fledgling winery. He also carried a small angel with him in his coat pocket. He experienced a horrific automobile crash, but emerged completely unharmed. He took the angel out of his pocket and announced his guardian angel was with him in the crash and would be the winery’s symbol from that time forward.
Montes Wings Carménère, Valle de Colchagua, Chile 2020: Elegant expression of Chile’s signature grape with a nice assist from 15% cabernet franc. After decanting, better integrated and approachable. Voluptuous. Smooth drinker with an impressive length. Pair with red meats; pork; lamb; roasted meat in general, including chicken; barbecue dishes, especially with leaner meats; pasta dishes; tomato-based dishes; spicy dishes—tandoori chicken, lamb massaman curry; Chilean cuisine—beef empanadas, sweetcorn and beef pie. Cheese—pepper jack, cheddar, pecorino, manchego, parmigiano-reggiano, grana padano. $55
