Montes Alpha Aconcagua Pinot Noir 2022
Montes Alpha Aconcagua Pinot Noir
Region: Aconcagua, Chile
Vintage: 2022
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: Pinot Noir
ABV: 14%
Notes: Vegetarian, Vegan
This wine is bright ruby red in colour. The nose presents aromas of ripe black cherries, blueberries and raspberries, sweet spices including nutmeg and cinnamon, and a touch of violet. Medium-bodied, the palate has silky, smooth tannins, fresh and vibrant acidity, and displays well-integrated flavours of toffee and vanilla from the French oak ageing. The long and perfumed finish is smooth and elegant.
The Pinot Noir vineyards are planted on gently rolling hills with different aspects and are trained to vertical shoot position. The sites are irrigated via a 'Sustainable Dry Farmed' system, developed by Aurelio and his team, which allows for extremely precise and minimal irrigating, reducing their water footprint by 65%. The vines only require minimal work with the canopy, which enables the growers to obtain healthy grapes with good balance at harvest time. Yields vary between 7,000 and 8,000 kilograms per hectare. The proximity of the vineyards to the Pacific coast endows the wine with tremendous freshness, minerality, and cool climate typicity. The granitic soils of the Coastal Mountains have varying percentages of clay, which contributes elegance, creaminess and a unique sense of place.
When they started producing Montes Alpha in 1987, they needed balanced yields and to harvest when the grapes were ripe. They adapted these practices to all their vineyards and the results were startling. Montes’ own vineyards now cover 75% of their requirements. The other 25% of fruit is produced in vineyards that they have planted, cultivated and picked. In other words, they control everything except the ownership of the land. In addition to this control over the vineyard, they also sell in bulk what is not good enough to go into the bottles that carry their label. Having made the selection in the vineyard, they are able to make a further selection in the winery. The results are there for you to taste. In 2020, Aurelio Montes’ illustrious career was recognised in the form of the International Wine Challenge’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
https://www.monteswines.com