Montes Twins Red Wine 2011

Here’s a red wine from Chile with some guts, and it’s a very easy-drinking quaff as well.  Montes Twins Red Wine 2011 is a 50/50 blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile's Colchagua Valley.  More or less in the middle of the country, south of Santiago, The Colchagua Valley is in the Rapel Valley, which is part of the larger Central Valley appellation.  The Malbec is sourced from the Marchigue Vineyard, while the Cab comes from the Apalta Vineyard.

Winemaker Aurelio Montes uses the Malbec grapes for their smooth texture, while the richness and structure of the wine he gets from the Cab.  The wine - or 60% of it - is aged in French oak barrels for ten months.  Alcohol content rests at a moderate 13.9% abv.  Montes recommends at least a half hour of decanting time before serving.  They say we can expect cellaring of six years.  The wine comes under a screw cap.

Montes Twins features artwork by Ralph Steadman on the label.  You may remember that his illustrations once accompanied the writings of Hunter S. Thompson.  TGIC Importers of Woodland Hills, California supplied this sample.

Upon pouring the wine, the color is rather striking.  It's almost black.  The nose is extremely dark, laden with aromas of blackberries and black plums.  A violet note sneaks through and tries to hide.  The taste follows suit, with very dark flavors of plum, berry and tar.  The tannic structure is outstanding - it really hits the mark with a burger.