2019 Montes Alpha M

Aged 18 months in 80% new French oak, the 2019 Alpha M offers a red-fruited and spice-driven nose accented with dried tobacco and a touch of toasted wood. It reflects the warmer harvest on the palate, with an assertive but balanced texture that transitions to a structured, drying and slightly introverted finish. Readers looking to enjoy this in the near future would do well to let it open up for a good hour or so before consuming.

The substantial Montes portfolio spans traditionally rich, seductive wines such as Purple Angel and Alpha M labels, an accessible range of bottlings under the Alpha line, and the more contemporary, linear Outer Limits range. Along with purchased fruit sources, production centers around their Colchagua estates in Apalta and Marchigüe, while the Outer Limits bottlings derive from the Zapallar site in Aconcagua Costa. Across the range are consistent, dependable and widely distributed bottlings that have done much to raise the profile of Chile among international markets.