Chile’s Aurelio Montes impresses Vancouver
By John Schreiner
October 6, 2008
In a recent whirlwind of tastings, Aurelio Montes, the superstar of Chilean winemaking, raised his profile in the Vancouver wine market.
 It is significant, perhaps, that he did his road show a week after an entire contingent of Chilean wineries did a massive public tasting. The decision by Montes to go one on one with consumers and wine writers should serve to set the wines of Viña Montes apart from, shall one say it, the herd.
I first met Montes in Chile in 1989. A rising winemaker with charisma to burn, he has just partnered with three business people to form a company they called Discover Wine. It was the marketing arm that would generate sales for the wines he would be making.
Chile’s wine industry in 1989 was just coming out of hibernation. The industry was so undercapitalized that some of the largest producers were recycling bottles – not for environmental reasons but simply because they could not afford new bottles.
At the time, the industry was still making two styles of wines: plonk for the domestic market (which preferred beer, with good reason) and somewhat better wine for the export market. The overseas market was a lot more competitive than the domestic market. Fortunately, a growing number of Chilean wine producers realized that, with better winemaking equipment and bright young winemakers, they could take on the wine world and win.
Montes was one of those young turks. Born in 1948, he graduated in enology from the Catholic University of Chile, one of the best wine schools in the Spanish-speaking world. He became the winemaker for Undurraga. He helped this old-fashioned producer break from the mold to make wines in the so-called new world style: fruity, fresh, not oxidized, quite unlike the style that had developed for the domestic market, which then had a real cellar palate.
Undurraga sent him around the world to see how others make wine. He was among the first Chilean winemakers to use cultured yeasts, rather than wild yeast, as is recounted in a book on his winery, Where Angels Tread by Jamie Ross (and published by the winery). He adopted many other techniques that were still innovative in Chile at the time.
After 12 years at Undurraga, Montes moved to Viña San Pedro, one of Chile’s largest wineries. That was where he met his partners and where plans were hatched for Viña Montes, which was launched in 1988.
Walking around the vineyard with him in 1989, one knew this a winemaker going places. He understood the fundamentals of good grape growing and, as was apparent in a tasting at the time, he was able to make exciting wines. And he could communicate the excitement. In the intervening two decades, I have noted that the Montes wines just got better and better. Montes at age 60 is still able to communicate excitement.
One of his great recent contributions to Chile was importing the first Syrah vines there in 1993. Chile’s plant quarantine laws are very strict as the nation tries to keep plant diseases from getting into the vineyards, so nicely isolated on the other side of the Andes. The Montes vines grew three years in quarantine before the authorities released them, assured that the vines were clean.
Montes planted the Syrah on very rough, stony hillsides. Some of his peers suggested it was a folly. So when he started releasing Syrahs, they were labelled Montes Folly. The current release, from the 2005 vintage, is a remarkable wine (as it should be for its $88 price tag). It has all the classic Syrah flavours – from leather to white pepper to plum. And it has a lovely food-friendly elegance. My score: 93.
The other wines that Montes poured for one of his Vancouver tastings were quite impressive, and not always so pricey.
Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2006 ($26.75) is a textbook Chardonnay, with subtle use of oak that the fruit stands forward, cleanly and freshly. The flavours of white peach and citrus are appealing and the wine is refreshingly bright. 88
Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Carmenère 2007 ($19.80) This is a generous, juicy blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenère. It is bold, plumy, with a touch of black pepper and with ripe, soft tannins. This is apparently the wine that Montes drinks at home. It over-delivers. 88
Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($26.75) This wine has a dollop of sweet fruit on the middle of the palate, with a touch of mint. The tannins again are ripe and soft. 88
As a winemaker, Montes prides himself in how he handles tannins. “One of my big concerns is how to treat the tannins,” he says. “If there is too much over-extraction, there is no way back.” It is one feature that sets his wines apart from the much harder reds of Bordeaux. The Montes reds are ready to drink when released but can be aged perhaps 10 years. Bordeaux reds are much less approachable on release. The difference is largely a matter of climate: the winemaker in Chile can leave his Cabernet hang much long than his Bordeaux counterpart can, letting the grapes get riper.
Montes Alpha M 2005 ($87.95) One of Chile’s icon wines, this has all five Bordeaux varieties, with Cabernet Sauvignon at 80%. Wonderfully concentrated, this wine has hints of red currants, mocha, cedar and plum. While the tannins are ripe, the texture is firm (not hard, however), suggesting good cellar potential. The finish goes on and on. 92
Montes Purple Angel 2005 ($53.95) This is 92% Carmenère, with a dash of Petit Verdot to tweak the spice and personality of the wine. The aromas and flavours recall blueberries. In the mouth, the wine is soft and generous, a very good example of Carmenère from a top vintage. 90
A hint from Montes on vintages: in this decade, the best vintages from Chile have been produced in the odd-number years.
goodgrog@shaw.ca
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