2001 Montes Alpha - a blend of 85% cab and 15% merlot, from the Apalta Valley.
The wine sees 12 months of French oak, and attains an alcohol level of 14%.

Great nose on this wine, with sweet cassis, and a coffee note, and in the mouth
well balanced if a tad hot, with lots of tannin but of the softer variety, and
gobs of fruit underneath it.

About $15 US, $24 in Ontario, $27 in BC, and still well worth it. Sling some in
the cellar and leave it alone for about 3 years before trying another bottle.
Impressive.

In article >,
Bill Spohn > wrote:
>
>2001 Montes Alpha - a blend of 85% cab and 15% merlot, from the Apalta Valley.
>The wine sees 12 months of French oak, and attains an alcohol level of 14%.
>
>Great nose on this wine, with sweet cassis, and a coffee note, and in the mouth
>well balanced if a tad hot, with lots of tannin but of the softer variety, and
>gobs of fruit underneath it.
>
>About $15 US, $24 in Ontario, $27 in BC, and still well worth it. Sling some in
>the cellar and leave it alone for about 3 years before trying another bottle.
>Impressive.


Just to elaborate, this wine is from Chile. I had it once with dinner at the
recommendation of a sommelier. I think it was the 1995 vintage. It was
pleasant, but the tannins were overwhelming. I've never tried it since.
Have you had any of the older vintages? How did they compare to this 2001?


Dimitri

On Mon, 3 Nov 2003 14:56:20 +0000 (UTC),
(D. Gerasimatos) wrote:

>In article >,
>Bill Spohn > wrote:
>>
>>2001 Montes Alpha - a blend of 85% cab and 15% merlot, from the Apalta Valley.
>>The wine sees 12 months of French oak, and attains an alcohol level of 14%.
>>
>>Great nose on this wine, with sweet cassis, and a coffee note, and in the mouth
>>well balanced if a tad hot, with lots of tannin but of the softer variety, and
>>gobs of fruit underneath it.
>>
>>About $15 US, $24 in Ontario, $27 in BC, and still well worth it. Sling some in
>>the cellar and leave it alone for about 3 years before trying another bottle.
>>Impressive.
>
>
>Just to elaborate, this wine is from Chile. I had it once with dinner at the
>recommendation of a sommelier. I think it was the 1995 vintage. It was
>pleasant, but the tannins were overwhelming. I've never tried it since.
>Have you had any of the older vintages? How did they compare to this 2001?
>

I had a case of '93 that I bought based on a bottle in '98. I looked
up my notes and found a similar profile to what Bill indicates. A
"warm" (i.e. high alcohol) cab style with chocolate and coffee notes
on a very full bodied frame.

What was remarkable was that I had three notes out of the case. One
for 2000 in which I rate the wine quite high, then two more--one from
late '01 and early '02 in which I note the wine as heavily sedimented,
flat and "stale".

Apparently that vintage held nicely for no more than 7-8 years and
then went away pretty quickly.

A lot has transpired in Chilean wine making since '93, so results may
vary not only based on vintage, but also technology. Montes Alpha has
always provided good QPR for me.

Bill, ever had the Montes Alpha Syrah? Someone was recently praising it.
Dale

Dale Williams
Drop "damnspam" to reply

>Bill, ever had the Montes Alpha Syrah? Someone was recently praising it.

No I haven't, but based on the Cab, I may give it a try.

(Bill Spohn) wrote in news:20031103111625.03666.00000330
@mb-m06.aol.com:

>>Bill, ever had the Montes Alpha Syrah? Someone was recently praising it.
>
> No I haven't, but based on the Cab, I may give it a try.
>

I have no notes, but I do have three bottles! IIRC it is nice but not earth
shattering, however, it is good QPR when compared with French Syrah which
it mimics most stylistically

(Bill Spohn) wrote:

>>Bill, ever had the Montes Alpha Syrah? Someone was recently
>>praising it.

> No I haven't, but based on the Cab, I may give it a try.

You definitely should give it a try!

I had the 2000 in a Chilean red blind tasting last year involving 108
wines. It finished equal third. Top scorers (with prices in Euros):

95 EUR55.00 2000 Clos Apalta, Casa Lapostolle, Colchagua
95 " 59.00 2000 Almaviva, Rothschild & Concha y Toro
94 " 64.00 1999 Viu 1 [Malbec], Viu Manent, Colchagua
93 " 21.40 2000 Syrah Montes Alpha, Colchagua
93 " 22.00 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Stella Aurea
93 " 24.70 1999 Primus Carmenère Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot,
Veramonte

If you can find the "Folly" - Montes' top syrah -, you should give
it a try too. It seems to be extremely rare (the Austrian importer
only got three cases, so declined to send a sample for our
tasting), but it was the best wine I tasted on my trip to
Colchagua Valley a year ago.

M.

Thanks Michael - I'll pick up a bottle of the Syrah today and keep a look out
for the Folly.

In article >, "Chris Lake"
> writes:

>
>I recently had the 99 apalta and loved it. though it could have used a few
>years in the cellar. That night it was one of the best wines at the tasting
>(we also had roc de cambes 98, turley zin, and lagrezette dame honneur)

Was the Roc de Cambes open at all? I've found most big Right Bank '98s to be
mostly closed at moment. Roc de Cambes used to be a bargain, but prices have
jumped so much in last 4-5 vintages it fell off my buy list (it may be the best
new-wave Cotes de Bourg out there, but at $30-40 I'll usually just buy a St.
Emilion or a Pomerol). I did pay $20 for the Epicurea de Chateau Martinat,
which was well-worth it.
Dale

Dale Williams
Drop "damnspam" to reply

> 95 EUR55.00 2000 Clos Apalta, Casa Lapostolle, Colchagua

I recently had the 99 apalta and loved it. though it could have used a few
years in the cellar. That night it was one of the best wines at the tasting
(we also had roc de cambes 98, turley zin, and lagrezette dame honneur)

at vinexpo I had the Montes M which i found interesting but the price here
in Quebec was too high for the wine (and the guy who served us was a prick)
When we had the Apalta at 30$cad cheeper than the M I was happy


> 93 " 24.70 1999 Primus Carmenère Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot,
> Veramonte

One Carmenère I love is the Donoso 1810 sells for about 28$cad. but from
what I hear, winespec doesnt give it a good rating

>
> If you can find the "Folly" - Montes' top syrah -, you should give
> it a try too. It seems to be extremely rare (the Austrian importer

Noted

...Chris

Dale Williams wrote:

> Bill, ever had the Montes Alpha Syrah? Someone was recently praising it.

I was served a bottle blind a few months ago. Not bad, decent Syrah
character. Not likely to be mistaken for a Cote Rotie or Hermitage,
though...

Mark Lipton