Montes Cab Sauv Carmenere 750

Carménère began in Bordeaux and was long thought lost after the phylloxera outbreak that devastated European vineyards. In Chile it was mistaken for Merlot for much of the twentieth century, until French ampelographer Jean Boursiquot identified it as a separate variety in 1994. Chile now has the largest plantings in the world, mainly in Colchagua. Montes launched Purple Angel in 2003 as Chile's first iconic Carménère.

Alpha Carménère is a Colchagua Valley red, built on Carménère with a little Cabernet Sauvignon added and aged in French oak for roughly a year. Expect plum and dark berry fruit, a touch of cacao and dried spice, and soft tannins. Decant it for half an hour and serve it at 16 to 18 degrees with grilled red meat, mushroom pasta or aged hard cheese.