2001 Montes Alpha

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.

Reply to
Bill Spohn
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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

Reply to
D. Gerasimatos

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.

Reply to
Ed Rasimus

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

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

Reply to
Dale Williams

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

Reply to
Bill Spohn

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

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

Reply to
jcoulter

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

Reply to
Bill Spohn

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

Reply to
Dale Williams

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

Reply to
Mark Lipton

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