05/29/2024 Newsletter

Greetings from the Wine Cellar:
This week the Old Town Wine Cellar has a special selection of Chilean wines from Viña Montes as our Featured Wines of the Week. Viña Montes is a pioneer of wine making in Chile and produces a series of labels recognized as some of the top wines coming out of Chile. This week we are featuring several varietals from three of their labels, Montes Limited Selection, Montes Alpha, and Montes Wings.

Montes Alpha Series – The pioneer wine of Viña Montes that showed the way to all other Chilean premium wines. It remains #1 in the Chilean premium wine niche, having proven early on their credibility as a world-class premium wine producer. All the Alpha wines have received ‘Top Scoring’ and ‘Best Value’ from the influential Wine Spectator magazine: quite an achievement for Chilean wines at such a reasonable price level.

Montes Limited Selection – This premium wine is recognized as a seductive, voluptuous, smooth, and satisfying sensual pleasure. This range includes a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Carmenère and a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère. All the wines in this series are medium-bodied wines that stand out for their fruit and intensity and are very pocket friendly.

Montes Wings – Viña Montes always seeks to go further and with Wings their sought to go even higher. Going beyond wisdom is daring and requires two wings to fly so Aurelio Montes and his son, namesake, Aurelio undertook a flight together to create unique Carmenère that delivers an extraordinarily complex wine. The rounded palate of the wine shows extreme smoothness and potency, with an exceedingly long, pleasant finish.

FEATURED WINES THIS WEEK

(Sample five featured wines for $15 or By the Glass)

Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (Leyda Valley, Chile) $17.99/Bottle

Pale-yellow color, with green tones. The nose faithfully reflects the wine’s origin, with clear, impressive notes of white fruit and typical aromas of passion fruit and fresh pineapple. There are distinguishable notes of boxwood, together with elegant floral notes of orange blossom. The wine is piercing and vibrant on the palate, with a light body and long finish. Fresh flavors explode on the palate, with notes of yellow grapefruit, and great minerality. Pair with clams, salmon, Chilean rock cod, or garlic shrimp.
($10 by the glass)

Montes Alpha Series Pinot Noir 2021 (Colchagua Valley, Chile) $25.99/Bottle

A striking ruby red with violet hue. The aromatic nose features notes of strawberries, cherry liqueur, wild flowers, and violets. The palate is juicy, with very balanced acidity and the sweetness of round, ripe tannins. The generous and elegant mid-palate accentuates all the sensations perceived on the nose coupled with a remarkable finish.
($12 by the glass)

Montes Alpha Series Carmenère 2021 (Colchagua Valley, Chile) $22.99/Bottle

Deep purplish red in color. The intense nose offers pleasing notes of ripe blackberries, figs, and dried plums. Spicy notes of nutmeg and black pepper complement a backdrop of tobacco, leather, and a subtle hint balsamic and dark chocolate aroma. The palate is well balanced, lush, and structured, with soft tannins that lead to a long and very elegant finish. Pair with red meats, stir-fried beef and vegetables, pork chops, spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, lamb chops, and mushroom ravioli.
($10 by the glass)

Montes Limited Selection Cabernet/Carmenère 2021 (Colchagua Valley, Chile) $17.99/Bottle

This wine is recognized for being seductive, voluptuous, smooth, and satisfying. Very fruity on the nose with notes of ripe cherry, blackberry, black plum, and dried fig followed by notes of nutmeg and vanilla. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenère. Pairs well with stir-fried beef, pork chops, spaghetti Bolognese, lamb chops, and mushroom risotto.
($10 by the glass)

Montes Alpha Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (Colchagua Valley, Chile) $19.99/Bottle

Deep, intense violet-red color. Aromas of figs and blackberries are accompanied by notes of crème de cassis and spicy black pepper above a backdrop of tobacco. The palate is well balanced and has generous volume, rich acidity, and very round tannins that lend structure to a long, elegant finish.
($10 by the glass)

Special By the Glass Option

Montes ‘Wings’ Carmenère 2019 (Colchagua Valley, Chile) $58.99/Bottle

‘Wings’ shows a deep red color, with purple undertones very characteristic of Carmenère. The intense nose reveals aromas of black fruit, such as blackberry and blueberry, accompanied by pleasing spice notes of bell pepper and black pepper, joined by sweet notes from the French oak barrels, delivering a very complex wine. The rounded palate of the wine shows extreme smoothness and potency, with a very long, pleasant finish.
($18 by the glass)

CORAVIN® BY THE GLASS OPTIONS

Dana Estates Onda Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Napa Valley, California) $310.99/Bottle

The 2019 Onda Cabernet Sauvignon opens with aromas of blackberries, baking spice, and plum tart. Intermingled with the fruit are notes of coffee and a hint of graphite. Rich fruit with dense flavors of black cherries, plums, and currants layer with graphite and a briny minerality. The velvety mid-palate transitions to flavors of black truffle, brioche, and blackberry on the finish. The predominantly hillside provenance of the grapes lends a broad mouth coating tannin backbone.
New Coravin Offering ($60 per glass)

Orin Swift Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (Napa Valley, California) (175.99)

An almost-black, opaque garnet core sits in the glass with slow-moving tears falling down the sides. Aromatic notes of ripe cassis, charred ribeye, sandalwood and freshly cut oak pilfer — breathe deeper for more. The first sip is a complex, layered conundrum of blackberry, black plum, fennel, licorice, and dark chocolate. More sips peel back the layers to reveal a rich and balanced wine with a deep cassis core. A sweet linger on the finish closes the wine with softly textured chalky tannins. ($35 per glass)

Beaulieu Vineyard 2019 Georges de Latour Private Reserve (Napa Valley, California) $155.99/Bottle

Wow! The aromas are exceptional, with a tangerine edge to the blackcurrants, graphite, lead pencil, flowers, and wet earth. It changes all the time. Full-bodied with great intensity and depth of fruit. The ultra-fine tannins display millions of layers. The texture on the palate is superb and lasts for minutes. This is the new 1974 George de Latour, which was a legend. ($32 per glass)

Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Alexander Valley, California) $104.99/Bottle

The 2019 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has notes of red cherry, raspberry, blackberry, iris, vanilla, and clove. Ruby in color, this elegant wine has great acidity and lift on the mid-palate. Black currant and warm baking spices linger with a deep and fruity finish. It will provide drinking pleasure through 2047 given proper cellaring. Blend: 95.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Cabernet Franc, 1.9% Merlot, 0.4% Petit Verdot. ($25 per glass)

JUSTIN 2019 Isosceles (Paso Robles, California) $89.99/Bottle

Isosceles presents with aromatic notes of ripe blackberry, juicy black plum, and cassis with dried violet, leather, vanilla bean, fresh herbs, camphor, and toasted oak. Full-bodied with baked black cherry pie, fresh mission fig, and black currant on the entry. The midpalate of new leather, fresh wild sage, porcini mushroom, dried black olive, and cedar is carried by balanced freshness and abundant velvety tannins that lead to a long, complex finish of sustained fresh berries, camphor, oak, toasted cinnamon stick, star anise, and dried flowers. ($22 per glass)

DAOU Reserve 2020 Seventeen Forty (Paso Robles, California) $78.99/Bottle

This is a Cabernet Franc driven wine with a harmonious complement of Merlot. Beguiling aromas of blackberry cobbler, raspberry, crème de cassis and cherry pipe tobacco anticipate hints of toasty oak, black licorice, and pencil shaving. Lush and full bodied, this wine bestows rich flavors of cherry, black plum, dark chocolate, and blueberry compote with lovely accents of Zante currant, graphite, and cinnamon. Solid structure and fine-grained tannins support a lengthy, focused finish, leaving notes of plum and boysenberry underscored by cocoa and black truffle.
($20 per glass)

NEW ARRIVALS

Gaja Barbaresco 2020 (Piedmont, Italy) $359.99/Bottle

The 2020 Barbaresco is a Nebbiolo that shows notes of strawberry, red fruit, and cherry. The palate shows great integration of the tannins, that are gentle and graceful. Blackberry, orange, and floral notes yield to a delicate, palate, and voluminous finish. The wines are characterized by precise and complex fruit expressions and clean and elegant aromas. They are wines that are already drinkable but will reward with time as the presence of fruit is always a guarantee of aging potential.

Beronia Graciano 2020 (Rioja, Spain) $29.99/Bottle

Deep, red berry color. Black cherries and baked fruit are lifted by a delicate, floral character and notes of fresh balsamic. Fresh and elegant on the palate, the new oak brings a toasty character to the fresh fruit with a backdrop of delicate mint and cacao.

Sean Minor Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2022 (Sonoma, California) $27.99/Bottle

Exquisitely crafted, harmoniously woven flavors of cherry, plum and blueberry with subtle notes of cedar bark. Boasting an elegant, velvety texture that gracefully carries earthy and dark cherry nuances across the palate. Impeccable balance complemented by vibrant acidity, continues to a lasting finish.

Cheers!

Kim Maloney
Old Town Wine Cellar
265 S. Main Street, Suite E
Yuma, Arizona 85364
928-373-0405