Friday, September 01, 2006

Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 wine review by (PB)

This is another Chilean creation from the Apalta Vineyard of the Colchagua Valley. It is a pretty, intense cranberry/purple colored wine with a plush bouquet of fruit, cedar and oak.

In the mouth it is a bit sour on opening but only because it needs to be breathed; yeah, decanted! Tannins are quite stiff, even chewy and flavors are incarcerated in youth. Decanting should help.

With an hour of time to breath and be swirled in a decanter the wine comes together with nice aromas of ripe dark fruit and a spicy, cedary nose. The palate is lush with ripe berries but this wine suffers from immaturity. It is tasty but austere and needs a couple more years on the shelf. It was really enjoyable with a grilled-on-the-charcoal medium rare slab of beef but should be downright sexy if aged. This wine was a gift from (NW). The Wine Spectator gives a reference price of $23.
Raise a glass!

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