I’m going back to Chile for the second week in a row and once you put your lips on a glass of this wine, you’ll realize why I am recommending it. You see, just recently in Toronto, the Chileans came to town and held their annual Grand Tasting, which they call Discover Chile. It’s an awesome chance to see and hear what is happening there and taste the wines that come out of this almost perfect country to grow grapes in (they say it’s perfect …). I tasted through about 100 Chilean wines before my palate gave out and I came away with some real winners, new and old. Of course, I like going to old favorites near the end of my tasting regime to see if, after tasting all that’s new, do the old favorites still hold true?… and when it comes to a company like Montes, I have never been let down. They know about value and they know about putting a quality wine in the bottle. Now I know there are plenty of Cabernet Sauvignon fans out there – you can’t throw a stick without hitting one or two – and I’m telling you for the money, it’s hard to beat this gem: great cherry, blackberry and hints of mint among a backdrop of gentle spice are the hallmarks of this wine and it is completely yummy sip after sip after sip. I believe the LCBO is changing over vintages from 2010 to 2011, or will be shortly, and if you can’t find the 2011 on the shelf, you won’t go wrong grabbing a bottle or two of the 2010 – plus it’s had another year in bottle so those flavors will have integrated nicely and smooth out a bit… after the first sip, you’ll be wondering if you stole the bottle at the price you paid.
Montes 2011 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon – $12.85, #157883 (Rating: 4+ out of 5 stars – very good-plus)