Montes “Twins”

Montes “Twins”

Montes Twinsthe wine: Montes “Twins”
the blend: 50% Malbec, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon the region: Colchagua Valley, Chile

the winery
Formally titled Discover wines, today’s Viña Montes was started literally from the ground up by Aurelio Montes and three other business partners in the late 80’s. Starting from scratch, they strategically planted vines on mountain slopes and valley floors to best enhance grape ripeness; today the winery produces over 1 million cases and they produce Napa Angel in California and Kaiken in Argentina.

As stated by the Wine Spectator magazine, “these achievements are yet more striking because Montes is a self- made man, on the short list of successful Chileans of the postwar generation who did not have the luxury of a family fortune to help them. “We started with $50,000 and reinvested everything. I had to work to make a living,” he says. “When you come from a rich family, you are fat like a cat and want to sleep.”” Indeed, Aurelio Montes is considered to be one of the founders of Chile’s modern wine revolution!

Other wines of note are Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon, Montes Folly Syrah (one of the best I’ve ever had and Chile’s highest scoring Syrah) and Purple Angel.

winery tasting notes:
“Beautiful lively ruby red color. Young and great power in this wine. The perfect harmony between the aromas of red fruits from Cabernet Sauvignon and the hint of plums from Malbec makes this wine very elegant and attractive. Sweet, fresh and firm tannins from Cabernet Sauvignon combine very nicely with the velvety and smooth body from Malbec. A seductive lingering in the mouth.” (I also appreciate the smokiness and blackberry fruit flavors this wine has to offer.)

barrel aging
47% of the blended wine was aged for 10 months in first-use French oak barrels. (First-use oak barrels will impart more of an intense vanilla and baking spice aroma, as opposed to barrels that have been previously used.)

the label
For the art fanatic’s among you, this label might be recognizable. Cartoonist Ralph Steadman has written three of his own wine books and has designed labels for Montes, California winery Bonny Doon, Flying Dog Brewery. Among his most notable initial achievements were his illustrations in numerous works of close friend Hunter S. Thompson.

Montes Twins Wine Label

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