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Montes Folly 2019
$100.00 USD
*** SPECIAL ORDER ITEM ***
Please allow extra time for this limited-quantity wine to be hand-picked and packed from our secure, temperature-controlled cellar.
Description
How To Say It
Vino Joe Says...
Description
Montes Folly is an adventurous wine of exceptional quality. Its grapes are grown on the steepest, highest slopes of the vineyards in Apalta, Colchagua Valley. For that reason, they deliver more color, tannins, and flavors, making Montes Folly richly complex and powerful. Grapes are hand-selected and sorted on special selection tables. Montes Folly has been recognized as the best Syrah of Chile.
The grapes for Montes Folly grow on the steepest hillsides of our Finca de Apalta estate, where the Syrah has adapted best and found equilibrium between fruit yield and vegetative growth. The soils are of granite origin and consist primarily of eroded rock from the mountain chain above; they are rather thin and poor in organic matter, with good drainage that encourages the roots to explore the entire profile, in search of water. We also find a high proportion of angular stones and a low clay content. This all results in plants producing low yields of grapes with tremendous concentration and character. The vines were planted at a density of 5,555 plants/hectare (2,250 plants/acre) and are double Guyot trained to yield approximately 3.5–4.0 tons per hectare (1.4–1.6 tons per acre). Leaves closest to the bunches are carefully removed in early January to provide better ventilation for the grapes and help them ripen slowly, evenly, and healthily, with good levels of natural acidity and pH.
Decanting is recommended for at least one hour.
The grapes for Montes Folly grow on the steepest hillsides of our Finca de Apalta estate, where the Syrah has adapted best and found equilibrium between fruit yield and vegetative growth. The soils are of granite origin and consist primarily of eroded rock from the mountain chain above; they are rather thin and poor in organic matter, with good drainage that encourages the roots to explore the entire profile, in search of water. We also find a high proportion of angular stones and a low clay content. This all results in plants producing low yields of grapes with tremendous concentration and character. The vines were planted at a density of 5,555 plants/hectare (2,250 plants/acre) and are double Guyot trained to yield approximately 3.5–4.0 tons per hectare (1.4–1.6 tons per acre). Leaves closest to the bunches are carefully removed in early January to provide better ventilation for the grapes and help them ripen slowly, evenly, and healthily, with good levels of natural acidity and pH.
Decanting is recommended for at least one hour.
How To Say It
MON-tez FAH-lee
Vino Joe Says...
Vino Joe’s quote
About the wine
REGION: Chile | Colchagua Valley | Apalta
GRAPES: 100% Syrah
PH: 3.49
ACIDITY: 3.65 g/L
VOLATILE ACIDITY: 0.67 g/L
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 3.6 g/L
ABV: 15%
AGING: Aged in 80% new French oak barrels, and 20% second and third-use barrels for 14-18 months
GRAPES: 100% Syrah
PH: 3.49
ACIDITY: 3.65 g/L
VOLATILE ACIDITY: 0.67 g/L
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 3.6 g/L
ABV: 15%
AGING: Aged in 80% new French oak barrels, and 20% second and third-use barrels for 14-18 months
The wine presents an impressive, deep red colour, with purple borders. On the nose, the wine shows great potency and complexity of aromas, ranging from ripe red and black fruit to black pepper, nutmeg, candy, and leather; leading to the aromas acquired after 18 months in French oak barrels,
including tobacco, toast, vanilla, and liqueur. The palate is equally broad and balanced, with big body and a silky sensation that remains for a long, pleasing finish.
Highly recommended with red meats, lamb, veal and pork chops.
Harvest began when the grape flavors were at their optimum, which is not always easy to judge Syrah. Picking was completely by hand, ensuring delicate handling of the bunches, and grapes in good condition during their transport to the winery. The building design adheres to the philosophy of feng shui. Grapes are processed on the top storey, before gravity delivers them into their fermentation tanks below. Bunches underwent selection before destemming, then individual grapes were checked and chosen, by the removal of underripe or dried berries. Only grapes in optimal condition continued to a cool maceration, at 10ºC for 5–7 days. Selected yeasts
were then added to ensure successful fermentation, while also allowing us to preserve varietal character. Fermentation lasted between 12 and 15 days, at temperatures of 26º–29ºC. The objective was to obtain wines with good body that also retain all of the positive characteristics obtained from the skins.
The wine was drained and separated from the skins, then racked into both new French oak barrels (80%) and second- and third-use (20%) barrels, where it remained for 14–18 months before bottling.
Store in a cool, dry place, away from sources of light and between 17-19 °C. Cellar up to 20 years.
25 March–15 April.
The season began with a mild winter and precipitation close to 320 mm in Apalta. Irrigation began later in the season thanks to a cool, rainy spring, which allowed us to store water for the summer season. Summer in the Colchagua Valley was dry, with the absence of rainfall that might have affected the health of the grapes. It was warm, but not excessively; so no damage to the vines or fruit. Thanks to controlled moisture conditions between fruit set and veraison, the size of the grapes was limited, achieving a very good ratio of skin to pulp. The result was extraordinary colour and concentration, rich tannins, and very good aromas. The climate for the harvest of red varieties was extremely favorable; we expected to pick early, but March and April were cooler than expected, pushing back the Syrah harvest date for our Folly by 2 weeks. There was no rainfall, allowing us to wait for full phenolic ripeness, without any disease that could have affected the quality of the wine. It was a year without any major climatic events to damage the health and quality of the grapes, giving us clean musts of great potential.
What The Critics Say...
A ripe and brooding syrah, showing good depth of blackberries, ripe dark cherries and violets, together with a refined, spicy edge and some savory, balsamic character. Concentrated and rich, but still well-drinkable. Full-bodied palate, saturated with dusty tannins that seamlessly knit the palate, rendering a broad but cohesive mouth-feel. Lots of hedonistic pleasures here, but not over the top. A “winter wine” according to Montes. 97 Points. JamesSuckling.com
The singular characteristics and location of this sub-valley, which extends from the Tinguiririca River in the south to the hills of Apalta in the north, allow for fewer hours of sun exposure on the vines, contributing to a slower, but more complete, ripening of the grapes. Apalta’s topography is very heterogenous, with zones with a large presence of pebbles and influenced by the movement of earth from high up in the mountain range. The soils are deep on the flat areas of the valley and thinner at the foot of the mountains and in the higher-altitude areas.