Montes Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Alpha

Description

Our Montes Alpha wines are made with selected grapes from our Colchagua Valley vineyards, which are irrigated via our Sustainable Dry Farmed system developed by Aurelio Montes and his team through years of research. This has meant not irrigating at all some vintages, which allows us to learn just the right amount of water we need to provide after the winter rains and to reduce our water footprint by 65%, enrich the fruitiness and aromatic expression of the wine. A milestone in Chilean winemaking, made with grapes from the famous Colchagua Valley and one of our most widely known Chilean wines. Deep ruby-red in color and very fruity, ripe, and intense on the nose with a predominance of red fruit notes such as strawberries and ripe cherries. Black currants and candied fruit also appear on the palate, where the very well-integrated oak contributes notes of toast, toffee, fresh-ground coffee, tobacco, and vanilla. The palate is well balanced with finely tuned rounded tannins that lend the wine a certain creaminess and very pleasing volume. The aromatic sensation increases with greater emphasis on the lactic aromas and fruitiness. Long, pleasing finishHARVEST Harvest Period March 27May 15 Harvest Report The weather during the 20112012 season presented very pronounced cold and hot periods. Rainfall was scant due to the influence of the La Nina phenomenon and concentrated during the winter months. The spring was cold and frost free, which was ideal for optimal foliage growth, flowering, and cluster definition. The summer was dry, clear, and without the cold and cloudy days presented during the previous season. Veraison began in mid-January, a little earlier than in the previous season, essentially due to a predominance of clear, warm days during the rain-free summer. The peak temperatures in February and March made it necessary to start harvest two weeks earlier than in 2011, although it ended during the first two weeks of May, which is similar to that of 2011. The grapes reached harvest in very good health, and the bunches were in excellent condition, medium to small in size with regulated loads.VINEYARD The vineyards that produce the Cabernet Sauvignon destined for our Montes Alpha are located at our Marchigue and Apalta estates in the Colchagua Valley. Apalta was the greatest contributor, and both areas have soils of granitic origin with differing levels of weathering. Both vary widely in terms of clay content, depth, and amount of organic matter. Apalta is very heterogeneous, with zones that are marked by the influence of the river and others influenced by mudslides and material that breaks loose from the surrounding mountains. The soils are generally deep on the flatland and thinner at the foot of the mountain and higher areas. The Cabernet Sauvignon does best when planted on the flatlands and lower slopes where the soil is deeper and has moderate moisture retention. Marchigue is flatter and has lower hills with moderate slopes. Its soils are rather shallow and in some cases no more than 60 cm deep, with medium clay content and a high capacity for water retention. The vineyards are located in the flat zones, which have a high degree of rounded stones fluvial material and are poor in clay. Our Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards are planted to a density of 5,555 plants/hectare 2,250 per acre and managed in a double guyot system for a yield of approximately 7,000 kg/ha 2.8 ton/acre.Decanting Best when decanted for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.Food Pairing Highly recommended with red meats, Mongolian beef, spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, and lamb chops with Cabernet and mushroom sauce. – Montes