97pts James Suckling

Classic cabernet nose with olives and red peppers. Sweet tobacco and milk chocolate with a meaty edge. Juicy and full-bodied but quite fit, with bright acidity and some densely packed tannins. Grippy but really well-honed with an extremely long finish

95pts James Suckling (Joaquin Hidalgo)

The 2020 Montes Alpha M is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot from Apalta, Colchagua. It was aged for 18 months in 70% new barrels. Purple in hue. The nose presents boldo and garrigue notes along with redcurrant and spice over a layer of cedar. Indulgent and juicy in the mouth, the polished, reactive tannins sculpt the palate before the lingering, complex finish. Like previous vintages, this is a red made with a nod to Napa.

94pts Wine Spectator

This understated version wows with finesse, displaying an entry with fresh tobacco and cigar box details that reveal a smooth-textured frame. Shows a sneaky concentration of blackberry and cassis, offering excellent length, with iron twinges to the finish and round, polished tannins.

Winery Description

Montes Alpha M comes from Montes' Finca Apalta Estate vineyard in the heart of the Colchagua Valley. The granitic soil of the Apalta estate boasts incredible diversity, ranging from fluvial to glacial, and varied in the clay content, depth, and amount of organic matter. Some zones are influenced by the Tinguiririca River while others are marked by mudslides and the detachment of material from high above in the mountain chain that delimits the valley. One of Chile's most celebrated wines, Alpha M is extremely limited in production, from low yielding blocks in the upper, mountainous sections of the vineyards with thin soils. Rigorous berry selection further intensifies this remarkable wine.