Description

Montes Purple Angel Wine – Chile best Carmenere

Montes Purple Angel represents a whole new dimension for Carmenère, the long-lost grape variety that recently resurfaced in Chile after being presumed extinct in Bordeaux, its original home. Purple Angel, has been recognised as Chile’s best Carmenere. Critics all over the world have named this wine a “wine from another planet”.

VINEYARDS

The vineyards that produce our Purple Angel are located in Finca de Apalta and El Arcángel de Marchigüe estates in the Colchagua Valley. Here, the soils are of granitic origin and vary in clay content, amount of organic matter, depth, and especially in types of fluvial and glacial stones, reflecting the tremendous diversity of soils in our vineyards.
Apalta has heterogeneous soils with some parcels highly influenced by the nearby Tinguiririca River and others that are the product of floods and erosion from the mountains high above. Soils tend to be deep on the plain and shallower at the foot of the mountains and in the higher slopes. The Carmenère vineyards for Purple Angel are optimally planted in flatter zones, where the soil is deeper and moisture retention is moderate.

Marchigüe is flatter, with lower hills and moderate slopes. Its soils are shallow -in some areas no more than 60 cm- with medium clay content and a high capacity for water retention. The Carmenère vineyards for Purple Angel are located in the flatter zones and are planted at a density of 5,555 plants/hectare (2,250/acre) and are Double Guyot-trained for a yield of approximately 3.5-4.0 tons/hectare (1.4–1.6 tons/acre). The leaves closest to the fruit were vigorously pulled in early January to leave the grapes
completely exposed, which allowed us to achieve even ripening, and more importantly, to reduce the amount of bell-pepper character pyrazines.

HARVEST

Harvest dates for Carmenère: 6–22 April. Harvest dates for Petit Verdot: 25–26 March.
The 2019–2020 season saw another very dry winter, just as we have had for several years now. The low availability of water explains the very significant drop in yields—approximately 15–20%—impacting the final quality of the wines. Spring was free of significant frost in our Colchagua vineyards, giving us excellent growing conditions.

Summer saw high temperatures that accelerated the ripening process, resulting in an early harvest date. The low fruit charge meant that bunches at harvest time were loose, with small grapes, positively affecting the concentration of aromas, flavours, and colour, giving us very high quality for processing. Both our Apalta and Marchigüe vineyards had timely and methodical harvests, despite the early date and narrow window we had for harvesting compared with the previous year.

VINIFICATION

Harvest began when flavours in the grapes reached their peak. Picked by hand into 10-kg trays, the grapes arrived at our Apalta winery and were processed on the top floor, allowing us to use gravity to later transfer them gently into their fermentation tanks below. First, bunches were selected and destemmed, then individual grapes were sorted, leaving out those that were either too green or shrivelled Only those grapes in optimal condition continued to a cold maceration at 10 ºC for five to seven days. Selected yeasts were then added that ensured proper fermentation and allowed us to keep all the desired qualities of the grapes. Fermentation lasted 12–15 days at temperatures ranging from 26º to 29 ºC. Once fermentation was complete, the wine remained in contact with the skins, and its development was monitored by daily tastings.The objective of this maceration was to make a wine with good body and extract all of the positive elementsthat the skins provide. Next, the wine was racked to separate it from the skins. Then 80% was transferred to new French oak barrels, and 20% to second- and third-use barrels, where it remained for 16–18 months before bottling

 

TECHNICAL DATA

Alcohol: 14.5%
pH: 3.52
Total Acidity (H2SO4): 3.72 g/L
Volatile Acidity (C2H4O2): 0.57 g/L
Residual Sugar: 3.33 g/L
Free SO2: 23 mg/L

Denomination of Origin: Colchagua Valley
Barrel Ageing: 70% of the wine aged for 18 months in French oak barrels of first use and 30% second use
Cellaring Recommendations: Store in a cool, dry place at no more than 15ºC and away from sources of light.

Suggestions:

Recommended Serving Temperature: 17º–19ºC / 63º–66ºF
Decanting: At least 1 hour.
Food Pairing: Highly recommended with red meats, lamb chops with rosemary, pork ribs, and cannelloni.

Source: https://www.monteswines.com/en/wines/icons/purple-angel