2019 Montes Alpha M Red Blend Chile

Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon 80%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Merlot 5% y Petit Verdot 5%.

Vineyards

 The vineyards that produce our Montes Alpha M are located in the Colchagua Valley, at our Fincade Apalta (Apalta Estate). Its soils are of granitic origin, with varying clay content, depth, and amount of organic matter; but their most important variable is the types of stone found, whose origins range from fluvial to glacial, illustrating the great diversity of soils found in our vineyards. There are some areas strongly influenced by the nearby Tinguiririca River and others defined by alluvium and eroded material from the highest parts of the mountain chain encircling the valley. Soils tend to be deep in the flat areas and thinner in the piedmont and higher parts. It is in the latter that our Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards are to be found, planted on soils where the incline reaches up to 30°. They are trellised in the double and simple Guyot systems and planted at a density of 5,555 plants per hectare (2,250 pl/acre), seeking a yield of 3.5 to 4.0 tons/ha (1.4 to 1.6 tons/acre). In this way, we obtain the wines that characterize us: great concentration, good structure, outstanding colour, and excellent ageing potential.

Harvest dates

Cabernet Sauvignon: from April 4 to 23.

Cabernet Franc: from April 8 to 10.

Merlot: from March 18 to 29.

Petit Verdot: from April 16 to 22.

At the beginning of the season, winter in Apalta presented itself with mild temperatures and rainfall close to 320 mm, a considerable drop compared to the previous year's 500 mm. We started irrigating later in the season because of the rainy and cool spring, which allowed us to reserve water

for summer. We experienced a dry summer in the Colchagua Valley. It was warm, but not warm enough to damage the vines or grapes,and we didn't suffer any other climatic events that could have harmed the health of the grapes. We implemented controlled water-stress conditions between fruit set and veraison, limiting berry size and achieving a great skin-to-pulp ratio, which resulted in superb color and concentration, rich tannins, and remarkable aromas. The weather presented good conditions for harvesting red varieties. There was no rain in March or April, so we waited for full phenolic ripeness, without the threat of disease that could have affected the quality of the wine. In short, this was not a year of detrimental weather events, so the health and quality of the grapes gave us clean musts of great potential.

Vinification

We harvested the grapes in 8-kg boxes during the coolest hours of the day. Bunches were sorted

before destemming, and then the berries went through a subsequent selection process to remove

any that were shrivelled or green. The grapes were transferred to stainless steel tanks without the

need for crushing; they were processed on the top storey of our Apalta winery, so that by just falling

into the tanks below, their skins were broken enough to release juice, without damaging the seeds.

The fruit remained in the tanks for at least five days at 9°C, which allowed the grapes to release

color and varietal aromatic expression. We then added selected yeasts and carried out the

fermentation process for ten days at 28ºC. Post-fermentation maceration can take another 10 days,

but no more. This process achieves roundness in the wines, often associated with malolactic

fermentation, which also occurs under these conditions. After that, the wine was separated from its

solid parts and statically decanted, to clean it. We finally racked it into French oak barrels, where we kept it for 18 months.

Tasting Notes

With a terrific color of red dried sour cherries, the wine readily unfolds its elegance on the nose,

releasing ripe, red-berry aromas of raspberry and strawberry, in addition to plum and ripe grapes.

The notes derived from ageing in barrels, such as nutmeg, toasted nuts, tobacco, and a subtle tone

of liqueur wine, are well integrated with the fruitiness.

On the palate, the flavors gain intensity. It reveals superb balance, with tannins of outstanding

smoothness, ample body, and magnificent length.