Montes Alpha Merlot is deep ruby red in colour. On the nose, there are pronounced aromas of fresh red berries and plums while the oak ageing adds subtle layers of vanilla, toffee and nutty notes. This is a well-structured wine with smooth, round tannins and balanced freshness.

About the Producer

Montes Wines was established in 1988 after the addition of two further partners, Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand to the original visionary partners, Aurelio Montes and Douglas Murray.  Murray and Montes both had extensive experience in the world of wine and wished to make their dream come true of being the people responsible for raising the bar for the quality of wine production in Chile.  The four men all made exemplary contributions to creating and establishing 'Discover Wine Ltda' now known as Viña Montes.

Aurelio Montes has since said of their venture "The Viña Montes adventure was almost a retirement project for us. We wanted to make a small, boutique-type vineyard to entertain ourselves the day we were definitely retired and that would also allow us to show off good wines in international markets."

Vineyard and Winemaking

The vineyards that produce the grapes for the Alpha Merlot are located in the Colchagua Valley, primarily in the El Arcángel de Marchigüe vineyards. The soils are of granitic origin at different levels of decomposition with variable amounts of clay and organic matter.The Merlot vineyards are double Guyot managed for yields of approximately 7,000 kg per hectare.

The grapes were cold soaked at 10°C for seven days to extract aroma and colour before fermentation took place in temperature -controlled stainless steel tanks for 8-10 days. The must then remained on skins for a further 15-20 days to aid structure and colour. After malolactic conversion, 55% of the final blend was aged in French oak barrels (25% new, the rest second and third fill) for 12 months to add complexity and roundness to the wine.

Visit the Montes website