Wine Reviews
Deep garnet-purple in color, the single-varietal 2020 Muse Cabernet Sauvignon bursts forth with bold notes of crushed blackcurrants and juicy blackberries, followed by hints of cedar, clove oil, and bay leaves plus a waft of crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate has a racy backbone and firm, grainy tannins supporting the intense black fruit layers, finishing with great persistence.
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Muse hails from Buin in Maipo Alto. It was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 70% first use and 30% second use. This is the first vintage; it was released on La Place de Bordeaux. A textbook Cabernet from Maipo. Dark garnet red in the glass. The nose presents redcurrant and blackberry notes over a balsamic layer with hints of black pepper on a bed of cedar. Dry and smooth in the mouth. The finely grained, polished tannins and mildly juicy flow establish a relaxed, gentle, rewarding palate. A long-lasting red with lingering dark fruit flavor
Very intense aromas of blackcurrants, violets, flower stems, bark and wet earth. Very perfumed. Mushrooms, black truffles and tobacco. Great cabernet sauvignon aromas. Medium-to full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins and lovely integration. Opens and grows. Goes on for minutes. So fine. This is a terrific, new pure cabernet sauvignon from Montes from the Maipo Valley and made at their wine in the Apalta Valley. September 2022 release. 6,000 bottles made. A new classic in the making and neoclassical in nature. Very drinkable now yet it will be so much better in 2025 and beyond.
The first vintage of a brand new wine from Montes – that was 10 years in the planning – and new to the Place de Bordeaux in 2022. A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine from vines on alluvial terraces 460m above sea level at the foothills of the Andes in Alto Maipo. A gorgeous florality and blackcurrant fruit notes on the noes, you get wonderful freshness from the aromatics alone but also the depth, such a pristine quality with unmistakable New World Cabernet markers. The colour is also so bright and vibrant, a combination of fuscia and scarlet in the glass. Crunchy and crisp on the palate, this has real bite but with a texture that is so velvety soft giving a perfect weight in the mouth. The blackcurrant and red cherry fruits with plum, molasses and a soft balsamic touch expand outwards and vertically giving layers of tension, texture and concentrated flavour. You get the sunkissed fruit and subtle clove spice but all supremely balanced and harmonious. This is effortlessly stylish with glamour but also sophistication. I wasn’t expecting to like this so much but the whole package is very impressive and pleasurable – imposing and structured but graceful and refined at the same time. Give this a quick air in a decanter if you’re going to drink it soon. A yield of 35hl/ha. 3.65pH. Ageing 18 months in 80% new French oak barrels plus two years in bottle. 5,000 bottles released on the Place with the rest reserved for Chile and Argentina.
