Montes Alpha Merlot 2019

There is a note of iron and herbs on the nose of the 2017 Alpha Merlot, a sleek and polished red produced with fruit from Colchagua. It maintains the style of the range—varietal and approachable—and was partly aged in used barrels, which gives it a creamy texture and some smoky and spicy flavors and aromas. 160,000 bottles produced.

Review not yet published

Tasted Dec 2014 - This is the first vintage of the pioneering dry-farming project that Montes Alpha began in 2009. To date they have reduced their water usage in the vineyards by a staggering 65%. To quote: 'The basic premise behind Dry Farming is to allow nature to take its course as much as possible, topping up with irrigation as required depending on conditions to compensate for any shortage in rainfall - a significant development in Chile, where it is the norm to irrigate. With now three years of data under its belt, Montes has made dramatic findings, illustrating that less irrigation results in lower yields of higher quality grapes.' Dark deep crimson. So staggeringly rich and silky and sensuous that for the first couple of tastes I didn't know quite what to write. Molten plums, milk chocolate, mocha, and a dried-apricot tang which turns all the opulence and plump boudoir fruit into dramatic fireworks with a freshness that practically crackles across the tongue. It certainly has all the density and concentration of a dark chocolate truffle, and is verging on just-too-sumptuous, but the fine tannins and that tense acidity manage to rein it back just in time. You could sink into an armchair and sip this slowly by the fire, but a food match would need to be carefully thought out: perhaps slow-cooked pork belly in a sweet-soy marinade? (TC)

A juicy and lightly jammy wine with chocolate character. Full body and a straightforward, simple finish. Drink now.