Montes Alpha Carmenére 2019 (Chile)

Montes Alpha Carmenére 2019 (Chile)Deep carmine red in colour. The nose is pronounced; aromas of ripe black fruit such as plum, blueberry, and blackberry predominate. There are also spice notes of black pepper and nutmeg. The 12 months in French oak barrels show themselves with aromas of toast, dark chocolate, and vanilla. The palate is smooth, with great body and balance, dairy notes such as toffee and yoghurt, then followed by a long finish. The vineyards that produce our Alpha

Deep carmine-red in colour. The nose is pronounced; aromas of ripe black fruit such as plum, blueberry, and blackberry predominate. There are also spice notes of black pepper and nutmeg. The 12 months in French oak barrels show themselves with aromas of toast, dark chocolate, and vanilla. The palate is smooth, with great body and balance, dairy notes such as toffee and yoghurt, then followed by a long finish.

The vineyards that produce our Alpha Carmenère are located in two very important areas of the Colchagua Valley—Apalta and Marchigüe. Made from 90% Carmenère and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The season began with a mild winter and precipitation close to 320mm in Apalta. Irrigation began later thanks to a cool, rainy spring, which allowed us to store water for summer use. The summer was dry in Colchagua, without rains that could have compromised the health of the grapes, but not so dry as to harm the vines or grapes. Thanks to the conditions of water stress between fruit set and veraison, grape size was reduced, achieving a good skin-to-pulp ratio that produced extraordinary colour and concentration, rich tannins, and pronounced aromas in the wine. There was no rainfall in March nor April, so we were able to wait until there was complete phenolic ripeness, with no disease that could have affected the quality of the wine. The weather cooperated throughout the year, supporting the health and quality of the grapes, giving us clean musts with great potential. The Carmenère ripened slowly and achieved the expected results thanks to the long, dry season in Colchagua ideal for this variety.

The grapes were harvested by hand and transported to the winery in 300kg containers. Bunches were manually selected prior to destemming. Grapes of ALPHA quality were macerated in fermentation tanks for 5 days, after which selected yeasts were added to begin the perfectly controlled fermentation. This lasted for 7–10 days until all the sugars were transformed into alcohol. Next, the wine was racked into stainless steel or concrete tanks, maintaining the wine at the optimal temperature for malolactic fermentation, which can occur quickly or take up to 20 days. Once this second fermentation finished, the wine was racked into French oak barrels where it remained for 12 months; a proportion remained in concrete tanks waiting to be part of the final blend, prior to bottling.

Food Pairing: Highly recommended with red meats, Mongolian beef, pork chops, spaghetti Bolognese, lamb chops, or mushroom ravioli.