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Charismatic Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes can look back on a breathtaking success story: he’s managed to maintain his estate’s standing on all the international best-of listings for a solid generation now. And furthermore, the wine-producing country Chile has him in large part to thank for the excellent reputation that the nation currently enjoys.
In this anniversary year, Viña Montes has surprised us with a couple new developments: Taita, the new iconic wine, has established new standards for Chilean winemaking. Alpha M, one of the world’s most beloved wines, is now available in choice Vintage Selections. And the ultra-premium wines have now been bottled for the first time in magnums!
Viña Montes was founded in 1988 with the goal of tapping Chile’s full potential as a wine-producing nation. Today, the company cultivates 800 hectares of vineyards in Apalta, Marchigüe and Zapallar, exporting its wines to 110 countries worldwide. The tireless Aurelio Montes retains ultimate responsibility for all matters of concern to the estate, where his boundless passion for winemaking, together with the inexhaustible pioneer spirit of the entire Montes team, guarantees that Viña Montes is certain to remain one of Chile’s leading wine producers.
Aurelio Montes has often demonstrated that he can get the absolute best out of the soils in Chile’s various wine-producing regions. But with the new Taita, he’s managed to outdo himself yet again. This fine and extraordinarily elegant red wine is made from 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented with 15 percent Syrah and Carménère. The grapes grow on what can only be termed truly golden terroir: a small parcel in the middle of the moonscape Marchigüe, in the Colchagua Valley, where hundreds of thousands of years ago a glacier covered the area. Over the course of millenia the glacier melted away, leaving behind a very small parcel of round stones and pebbles. The name Taita means among other things ‘wisdom,’ and when the wine made its début at the most recent VinExpo, it was greeted most enthusiastically by the trade and the press. Taita is extremely limited in production, available in selected markets. Wine Advocate’s eRobertParker.com #204 favoured Taita 2007 with a rating of 93 Points (December 2012).
This top cuvée is numbered among the most sought-after wines in the world. Montes has produced the Cabernet Sauvignon-based red since 1996; the grapes come from the best red-wine vineyards in Chile, the ‘Finca de Apalta’ in the Colchagua Valley south of Santiago. To celebrate his 25-year jubilee, Viña Montes is presenting a limited edition Vintage Selection—wines from different harvests.
As of October 2013, the three ultra-premium wines Alpha M, Purple Angel and Folly will be available for the first time in magnums. Year after year, these wines demonstrate the great potential that Chile offers: Folly, the top Syrah from Apalta—Purple Angel, the highly elegant indigenous ambassador of Chilean terroir—and the legendary Alpha M, which for the vintage 2010 was rated a cool 96 Points by the US publication Wine Spectator.
Both lines will receive an update of their visual presentation. The 2012 vintage, available in the jubilee-year 2013, is already wearing the new accoutrements. Aurelio Montes was able to make his international breakthrough with the legendary Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 1987; today, this signature wine is considered all over the world to be one of the finest wine-ambassadors of Chile. The Alpha Series is currently represented by seven wines. The five monovarietal wines of the Classic Series offer wine-lovers an excellent price/quality experience—they’re easily drinkable but inimitably authentic representatives of Chile.
‘To be totally honest? What I’d really like is to toast our success of the last 25 years with our own sparkling wine—but it will not be ready until next year; I’m greatly looking forward to that…’ And moreover, the considerable success of Viña Montes has not gone unobserved in his native land. In April 2013, Aurelio Montes was chosen Vice President of the export organisation ‘Wines of Chile.’
www.monteswines.com
For tasting samples or high resolution photos please contact Christina Pauschenwein.
Avenida del Valle
Ciudad Empresarial, off. 2611
Huechuraba, Santiago de Chile
Chile
Über Viña Montes
DO Apalta, Valle de Colchagua / Chile
Das Weingut von Aurelio Montes gehört zu den Pionieren des Qualitätsweinbaus in Chile und ist heute eines der erfolgreichsten Weingüter des Landes. Erst 1988 wurde Viña Montes, damals noch als Discover Wines, von Aurelio Montes und drei seiner Freunde gegründet. Ihr ehrgeiziges Ziel war von Anfang an, das Potential Chiles für Qualitätswein auszuschöpfen – nicht umsonst wird Chile heute als das „Bordeaux der südlichen Hemisphäre“ bezeichnet. Aus dem Experiment unter Freunden entstand bald ein dynamisch-wachsendes Unternehmen: Aurelio Montes hat Weinberge in Gebieten erworben, ausgepflanzt und experimentiert, wo vor ihm noch niemand war. Parallel hat er ein hochprofessionelles Team aufgebaut. Besonders aufhorchen lässt das Weingut mit seinem Bewässerungsprojekt, das sich mit Chiles größtem Problem in der Landwirtschaft beschäftigt: dem teils akuten Wassermangel. 150 ha werden seit 2010 „dry farmed“, ausgewählte rote Rebsorten so gering wie möglich bewässert. Die eingesparte Wassermenge entspricht dem durchschnittlichen Jahresbedarf von 22.000 Menschen. Heute ist Montes als eines der ganz wenigen chilenischen Weingüter nach wie vor in Familienbesitz. Rund 300 Mitarbeiter bewirtschaften Weinberge in drei Regionen: Apalta, Marchigüe und Zapallar. Montes-Weine werden auf allen Kontinenten in 80 Ländern angeboten.
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