The history of Montes seems like a dream,

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Alison Hampton
5 years ago
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1 WINEY EVIEW: MONTES Montes winery The history of Montes seems like a dream, and that iss truly how it began, gradually becoming reality. It was in 1987 that the two original founders, Aurelio Montes and Douglas Murray, both highly experienced wine professionals, wanted to realize their dream of producing Chilean wines much higher in quality than the standards of the time. In 1988, they joined up with the other two founders, Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand, who brought their own complementary skills and expertise to the venture. And thus Montes was born, at first under the name Discover Wine. It was a dream come true for four great visionaries who succeeded in taking Montes wines from nowhere to more than 100 countries worldwide; by making first growth wines respected and admired by the world s critics and trade, and by drawing attention to what Chile was capable of producing. After they created the first Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon - through hard work and passion - it didn t take long to achieve recognition. It was a mould-breaking wine that immediately raised the bar for other Chilean producers. Concentrated, complex and stylish, its success was immediate, and it demonstrated that they had chosen the correct path, the one that we had hoped for from the beginning, focusing on the standards expected by international markets. The 1987 version of this Cabernet Sauvignon was the first premium wine to be exported from Chile, and it very quickly opened up opportunities for us and others in Chile.

2 Barrel room Apalta

3 This wine and success was soon followed our cherished Alphas Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah. From the beginning, Montes Alpha was to be a brand synonymous with premium quality from Chile, aimed at the demanding tastes of the specialized wine stores, restaurants and hotels: a difficult-to-break-into niche that guarantees recognition around the world. Montes obsession with making the best wines led them to become a pioneer in Apalta Valley, to plant vineyards on the hillsides, in fact being the first to plant Syrah in Colchagua, and to introduce innovative methods always aimed at quality production. esults came more quickly than expected: the first Chilean Ultra-Premium (or Super Chilean or Icon ), Montes Alpha M 1996 (in classic Bordeaux style); followed by another that has become a luxury wine: Montes Folly 2000 (pure Syrah, with very limited production) and lastly, Purple Angel (92% Carmenère), launched in great P and the loyalty of the consumers. Perhaps the most satisfying thing for Montes has been achieving all of this on their own, without having to seek out joint-ventures or consultancies with foreign companies, as the other top-rated Chilean wineries have done. Montes has been a great ambassador for Chile, and a benchmark for the many new Chilean wineries. Helping Chile refocus on quality wine has been their greatest contribution to the country s wine industry. When Montes began there were only 14 exporting wineries in Chile. Now there are more than 200. With great sacrifice, hard work and a lot of care, Montes has been able to take their wines to all corners of the globe. Montes is distributed in Vietnam by Bluebird wines, and widely available on top hotels and restaurants. They all became instant successes thanks to Aurelio Montes

4 V IN EYA D S Zapallar Zapallar ACO NCA GUA IVE Valparaíso San Antonio Leyda Santiago MAIPO IVE Pacific Ocean Marchigüe Apalta T IN GU I I IC Santa Cruz TENO Curicó MAT AQU ITO IVE LONT UÉ IVE s Andes Mountains IVE A IV E

5 Montes winery Marchigue

6 Apalta Marchigue

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A Walk Through our History

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