The story of Montes seems like a dream and, truthfully, that\'s how it began, becoming progressively reality.
It was in 1987 when our two deluded partners, Aurelio Montes and Douglas Murray, with extensive experience in the world of wine, wanted to realize their dreams of producing wines of a quality far superior to the one that was being produced in Chile at that time. They added in 1988 the other two original partners, Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand, each making their special and complementary contribution, thus giving birth to Viña Montes, called in the beginning DiscoverWine Ltda. A dream come true, of four great visionaries, who have achieved over time, Montes and Montes Alpha wines will reach more than a hundred countries, be recognized for their extraordinary and permanent quality and, at the same time, attract the attention of the entire world about the wines that Chile can produce.
Fame soon came when, with all our effort and passion, we created the first Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine really different from the then in vogue. Concentrated, complex and serious, he had immediate success and showed us that we had chosen the right path, the one we wanted from the beginning, thinking about the attributes that international markets wanted. The 1987 version of this Cabernet Sauvignon was the first really premium wine exported by Chile and opened for our vineyard - and for Chile - the path that others followed promptly.
Later, they followed our beloved Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah versions. From the beginning, we thought that Montes Alpha should be synonymous with the great Premium brand of Chile, the largest export in its category, aimed at the demanding tastes of the specialized wine shops, restaurants and hotels: that special and reserved niche that leaves footprint and recognition in the world.
Continuing with the obsession of creating better wines, Montes was a pioneer in betting on the Apalta Valley and planting vineyards on mountain slopes, in his persistent search for quality, being also the first to plant Syrah in Colchagua.
The result came faster than expected: the first ultra-premium (or super-Chilean or icon) Chilean, Montes Alpha 'M' 1996 (a classic Bordeaux), followed by another that has become a cult wine, Montes Folly 2000 (Syrah 100%, very low production) and, finally, the first Carmenèrepremium Chilean launched in May 2005, PurpleAngel (Carmenère 92%). All quickly turned into successes by the specialized press and by our loyal consumers.
The great grace of Montes has been to achieve all this, becoming the 5th exporter of Chilean bottled wine in 2005, by itself and without resorting to joint-ventures, or consulting with foreigners, as has been the pattern with all the other Chilean wineries in the 'maximum category'. We are proud that Montes is the incredibly successful result of a '100% Chilean' group and of our own 'blood, sweat and tears'.
Montes has given Chile great satisfaction and, objectively, has become the 'benchmark' of most of the new Chilean wineries. This, and lead Chile to turn to quality, is our greatest contribution to the Chilean wine sector. When Montes left (as DiscoverWine Ltda.) There were only fourteen exporting vineyards in Chile and today there are more than two hundred.
We are happy to have among our importers and distributors highly respected traders in the premium wine market; having also as valuable customers the leading wine merchants in the world. So that, even considering a medium-sized Chilean vineyard, our quality has the recognition and support of large conglomerates, as well as the most prestigious small-scale merchants. Our export progress has been somewhat incredible, considering that Montes wines are among the most expensive in Chile and that our key markets are Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region.
With a lot of sacrifice, hard work and a lot of love, we wanted to take our wines to every corner of the world. It is our purpose that, in every good restaurant, hotel or wine shop, our Montes and Montes Alpha are available to the most demanding wine lovers.
