Montes Purple Angel 2005

Traveled to Chile specifically to seek this gem. 2005 is amazing! The only wine to bring me to tears...¡Enhorabuena Montes!

August 2008

An intriguing 23:2 blend of Carmenère and Petit Verdot, two grapes you don't see everyday. Lots of blackberry fruit and spice in this moderately tannic premium Chilean wine. It was perfectly drinkable, but clearly would have benefited from more time in the cellar when tasted in the late Summer 2008. Let it breathe.

It comes in a ridiculously heavy bottle to complement its price tag (when its empty it feels like it is still full). I know this is one of the premiere wines of Chile, but the price tag is a bit silly. I'd love this at $30... or even $40.

• Tags:
• New World
• Carmenere
• Petit Verdot
• pricy

August 2008

love it, 90% Carmanere (grapes known to have extincted since 1880 in Bordeaux and resurfaced in Chile only since the last decade). aroma - blackcurrent, casis, coffee

April 2009

Great wine. Hefty but balanced, and intriguing at every turn. I'm trying not to drink my last bottle of 2005 for another few years...it's got five more years in it at least!

July 2009

Aromas are the combination of the dark fruit flavors given by the Apalta Carmenere, the spicy and lively hints given by the Marchigue Carmenere (cooler area only 18 kms or 11 miles to the Pacific Ocean), and wildness of black berries given by the Petit Verdot. This wine is full bodied, with a considerably amount of ripe tannins giving grip and structure to this lovely wine. Cellaring potential is no less than 10 years. Purple Angel is a blend of 92% Carmenere and 8% Petit Verdot from the Colchagua Valley. Of this, half of the Carmenere comes from Montes' La Finca de Apalta estate, bringing sophistication read more...and elegance (the Petit Verdot also comes from this vineyard). The other half of the Carmenere comes from Montes' Archangel estate in Marchigue, adding potency and strength. The grapes are hand picked, normally early in the morning to make sure that cold temperature is achieved to crush the fruit. The clusters go through a berry selection, in which only good fruit is allowed into the tank. During the 18 months of barrel aging in new French (50%) and American (50%) oak, the wine is racked 3 times to get rid of lees, and allow some oxygen to interfere in the evolution and maturation of this wine.    (hide)

The Wine News rating: 92