Montes Classic Series Colchagua Merlot 2023
Bright ruby red in colour, the wine’s predominant aromas are of fresh red cherry and raspberry. There are also notes of blackberry and red plum, mixed with the toasted aromas acquired by the time in French oak, including hazelnut and pistachio, as well as notes of vanilla and toffee, lending the wine great complexity.
The vineyards are located in diverse areas of the Central Valley region of Chile, predominantly in the Colchagua Valley sub- region, at Montes' Apalta and El Arcángel de Marchigüe estates. This is the second vintage in which grapes from cooler parts of the Maule and Curicó Valleys have been included, adding fresh fruit and smoothness on the palate, thanks to the climate in these more mountainous areas, where deep soils and good availability of water allows for the harvest of grapes of very high quality. The more extreme conditions in the Marchigüe vineyards (persistent wind, long hours of sunlight, and poor soils with a lot of alluvial material) give the wine a deeper colour, as well as great tension and body. Apalta, on the other hand, with its deeper soils and better availability of water, adds diversity to the aromas and unctuousness on the palate.
Grapes were hand selected, crushed, and cool-macerated at 10ºC for 2days. Selected yeasts were then added to begin alcoholic fermentation; this lasted 10–15 days. The wine was racked from its skins and remained in stainless steel tanks until complete malolactic fermentation had taken place. 40% of the wine was aged in 225-litre French oak barrels for 6months before blending and bottling.
