Montes Limited Selection Carmenere beautifully illustrates why Carmenère is such a beloved red wine from Chile. Why is Montes Limited Selection Carmenere such a good introduction to this style? Because it combines the juicy charm of Carmenère with the structure you'd expect from Cabernet Sauvignon, and it also comes from the top region: the Colchagua Valley. All in all, a wine that offers much more than you might expect based on its price range. Since 1987, Montes has been committed to quality, from the selection of top-quality valleys like Apalta and Marchigüe to the meticulous selection of each grape in the cellar. This wine is a prime example.
The grapes for Montes Limited Selection Carmenere come from two of Montes's most important vineyards in the Colchagua Valley: Apalta and Marchigüe. In Apalta, the plots are situated on hillsides where the soil is thin, a mix of alluvial sand and clay with a high proportion of weathered granite, resulting in low yields and concentrated fruit. The Carmenère is grown on flatter slopes, in deeper soils with moderate water retention that delay ripening nicely. In Marchigüe, the slopes are gentler and the soils are shallower, often no deeper than 60 cm, with a significant clay content and a high moisture-retention capacity, which protects the grapes from drought stress even in warm years. The vineyards are densely planted, with 5,555 vines per hectare and a yield of around 9,000 kg per hectare, allowing the grapes to develop abundant flavor and color.
The grapes are harvested by hand and transported to the cellar in small containers, where the bunches are manually inspected before being destemmed. Only the finest fruit goes into tanks for a short cold maceration of about three days, a technique in which the juice is still in contact with the skins without fermentation, adding color and aroma. Alcoholic fermentation with selected yeasts then follows in stainless steel and concrete tanks, lasting seven to ten days until all the sugar has fermented. The wine then remains in the same tanks under controlled temperatures for malolactic fermentation, during which the sharp malic acid is converted into softer lactic acid, creating a round and supple structure. After this second fermentation, 47% of the wine is aged for approximately ten months in French oak barrels of varying ages, while the remainder remains in concrete tanks to preserve the fruit and freshness, after which the final blend is assembled and bottled. With an alcohol content of around 14.5% and careful aging, Montes Limited Selection Carmenere can easily continue to develop in the bottle for several years.
