Launched in 1987 as Cabernet Sauvignon and the first Chilean premium wine, Montes Alpha now stands for a whole range of premium wines. The grapes for Montes Alpha Carmenère come from the Colchagua Valley, more precisely from Marchigüe near the coast and Apalta, near Santa Cruz. The grapes are hand-picked, rigorously sorted, then gently fermented and the wines matured for twelve months in French oak (50 percent new barrels) or concrete tanks. Carmenère and the small proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon blend very seductively with a fine interplay of juicy fruit and delicate oak spice. Plums, figs, pickled cherries and cassis are underpinned with dark chocolate and a hint of cinnamon, and are velvety soft, powerful and complex on the palate with great length.