Montes 2014 Limited Selection Pinot Noir, Aconcagua Coast

Chile is 2,600 miles long and about 100 miles wide. This narrow strip of land between the Andes and the Pacific is home to outstanding wine and terrific values. Take Montes Limited Selection Pinot Noir, for example…

Chilean Wine Blessed By Geography

One wouldn’t expect to find world class wines so close to the equator, but Chile is blessed by its varied geography, excellent climactic conditions and ideal soils. For many years Chile has been a value leader in wine, providing first rate quality at absurdly reasonable prices. We like all these things about Chile.

The proximity to the Pacific, which brings cooling breezes and fog, gives the needed coolness for grape growing. The chilly Humbolt Current in the sea also brings lower temperatures to the area.
For Pinot Noir, our tastes usually run toward Willamette Valley in Oregon, Los Carneros (which spans Napa and Sonoma) or perhaps a French Burgundy. Pinot Noir from Chile? We were dying to take a taste.

Quality Roots

Montes is one of the first premium wineries in Chile. They released the iconic Montes Alpha premium wine in 1988 and also produce one of our favorites, Purple Angel, a Carmenère blend. The Limited Selection Pinot Noir comes from the Casablanca, Leyda and Zapallar valleys in the Aconcagua Coast region. The vineyards are close to the sea with some grapes coming from just four miles away.

In the glass the wine is light ruby in color. On the palate it is a light-medium body with a lovely smooth texture. Green Dragon commented that she got flavors of eucalyptus and cola flavors while I enjoyed nice herbal and earthy nuances. The Montes Limited Selection Pinot gets six months in French oak to add structure but it does not smother the light fruit flavors with tannins.

Well what do you know? Chile makes a very tasteful Pinot Noir. The Casablanca Valley is also known for Chardonnay, so we intend to seek that out as well. Montes is a trusted brand, so you can feel comfortable buying any of their wines. At a SRP of $17, the Limited Selection Pinot Noir is an affordable and tasty buy.

Full Disclosure: We received this wine as a marketing sample.