Pleasant potpourri…Strawberry, oak, compost, damp earth
Taste the textures…I was tempted by this from the first I laid eyes on it at Costco, but I couldn’t bring myself to fork over the 16 dollars when I’d only had average experiences with Montes wines thus far. I stopped by three or four times before I finally broke down and purchased a bottle. Truth be told this wine is a little bit average, but it’s also a little bit complex, and just a tad bit adventurous. It’s something of an enigma because it goes through so many phases it makes it hard to review; but I’ll do my best. The attack is pretty straightforward and powerful; burnt blackberry jam silkiness married to dense dark flavors of leaves, loam and cedar smoke with a backbone of leather and anise. The mid-palate boasts crisp acidity, subtle astringency and moderate alcohol heat. The finish is pronounced and long, pulling in flavors of currant and blackberry mixed with tar, ash and charcoal. This finish seems overwhelming until your second or third sip and then you realize just how complex and wise these flavors are; truly showing off the wines subtle age and intensity without losing the buoyancy and bravado of the attack. Definitely a full bodied wine with evident weight and an aftertaste of wet, sour leather and cherry pips.
Overall this wine can seem “friendlier” on the attack and mid-palate than on the finish; however it is in the finish where you find all the hidden flavors and complex nuances that truly make this wine special. The bold, heavy flavors of tar and ash pull down a rather fruit forward finish; and while they might confuse your palate on the first sip by the third or fourth sip these same flavors are what your palate is drawn to. You begin to look for the dark, heavy edges of this wine and find them in all textures and flavors and throughout the wine. I recommend this wine as a good-almost-great QPR. It needs time to breathe or a Vinturi but given the chance this is a wonderful bottle of wine that defies its price tag, don’t pass this one up.
Vina Montes
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