Montes

In 1987, Aurelio Montes and Douglas Murray harvested the first crop that would become Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1988, they formally founded the winery, initially called Discover Wines (DiscoverWine Ltda), alongside two additional partners, Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand, thus creating Viña Montes. Aurelio Montes, who had spent 16 years rising through the ranks at Viña Undurraga and Viña San Pedro, described the venture as a passion project aimed at producing wines of a quality far superior to those being made in Chile at the time. The four founders each brought complementary strengths to the enterprise, and the winery grew from an ambitious startup into one of Chile's most recognized global brands.

• First harvest 1987; Viña Montes formally constituted 1988 under the name Discover Wines with all four founding partners
• Aurelio Montes had 16 years of experience at Viña Undurraga and Viña San Pedro before co-founding Montes
• Founding philosophy: produce premium wines at a level that did not yet exist in Chile, targeting export markets from day one
• Montes grew without foreign investment or consulting winemakers, making it a fully Chilean-owned success story

With the release of Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1987 harvest, the winery became the first to export a truly premium Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. In 1993, Aurelio Montes introduced Syrah to Chile, pioneering a variety that would come to define a new category of Chilean reds. In 1996, Montes Alpha M set the benchmark for Chilean icon wines and is widely recognized as one of the first ultra-premium wines from the country. Montes Folly, released with the 2000 vintage, showcased hillside Syrah from Apalta's steepest slopes. Purple Angel followed in May 2005 as Chile's first premium Carmenère, and Taita was added as a super-icon in 2007, giving Montes five icon wines in total.

• First Chilean winery to produce and export premium and ultra-premium wines (Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon and Montes Alpha M)
• Introduced Syrah to Chile in 1993; pioneered hillside viticulture in Apalta when flat-valley planting was the norm
• Montes Alpha M (1996 inaugural vintage) is recognized as one of Chile's first icon wines
• Apalta DO status was finally achieved in 2018, partly due to decades of advocacy by Montes

Montes owns three estate vineyards: Apalta, Marchigüe, and Zapallar, with long-term supply agreements in Casablanca, Leyda, Itata, and Chiloé. The Apalta vineyard, located in the DO Apalta subzone of Colchagua Valley at around 240 metres above sea level and approximately 64 kilometres from the Pacific, covers around 140 hectares. Half of the Apalta vineyard is planted on steep hillside parcels with slopes exceeding 45 degrees and thin granite soils. The Zapallar vineyard, located 11 kilometres from the Pacific in the Aconcagua Coast DO, covers 47 hectares planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. Marchigüe, between the Coastal Range and the sea in western Colchagua, contributes Carmenère and Petit Verdot to Purple Angel alongside Apalta fruit.

• Apalta: approximately 140 hectares, 64 km from Pacific, soils of clay, red clay, and granite on slopes up to 45-degree incline
• Zapallar: 47 hectares on Aconcagua Coast, 11 km from Pacific; planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay
• Marchigüe: located between the Coastal Range and Pacific (approximately 25 km from the sea) in western Colchagua Valley
• Chiloé: experimental plantings on the island of Mechuque, 1,200 km south of Santiago, begun 2018 with Albariño, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir

Montes' icon wines are all grown in Colchagua Valley. Montes Alpha M (inaugural 1996 vintage) is an 80% Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Apalta, aged for 18 months in French oak, and released only in the best vintages with winemaker approval. Montes Folly is a 100% Syrah from the steepest hillside parcels of Finca de Apalta, aged 18 months in French oak (80% new). Purple Angel blends 92% Carmenère with 8% Petit Verdot from Apalta and Marchigüe, aged 16 to 18 months in 80% new French oak. Taita, introduced in 2007, is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based super-icon from Marchigüe. The Outer Limits line explores experimental regions and varieties, while the Alpha and Classic Series form the broad premium and entry ranges.

• Montes Alpha M: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot; inaugural 1996 vintage; only produced in top years
• Montes Folly: 100% Syrah; steepest hillside parcels of Finca de Apalta; slopes up to 45 degrees; yield approximately 3 tons per hectare
• Purple Angel: 92% Carmenère, 8% Petit Verdot from Apalta and Marchigüe; aged 16-18 months in 80% new French oak
• Taita (launched 2007) is the fifth icon wine, bringing the total icon lineup to Alpha M, Folly, Purple Angel, Taita, and Muse

From the outset, Montes brought virus-free, high-quality clones from France, reduced yields, and planted at higher densities than was standard in Chile at the time. The Apalta winery, inaugurated in 2004, was designed using gravitational flow principles to avoid pumping and uses feng shui principles throughout, including Gregorian chant played continuously in the barrel cellar. Montes developed water-saving viticulture techniques that reduced water use by 65 percent, equivalent to the consumption of 20,000 households. In 2024, Montes achieved B Corp certification, recognizing its commitment to sustainability, ethical practices, and positive social and environmental impact.

• Introduced French virus-free clones and reduced yields in Chile from the late 1980s to improve fruit quality
• 2004 Apalta winery uses gravity-flow technology, feng shui design, and Gregorian chant in barrel cellar
• Water-saving viticulture reduced water usage by 65%, equivalent to 20,000 household savings
• B Corp certification achieved in 2024; Aurelio Montes Jr. now leads winemaking, continuing innovation under Aurelio Montes Sr.'s guidance

Montes wines are sold in more than 100 countries and have been consistently recognized as a benchmark producer for Chilean wine. In 2020, Aurelio Montes Sr. received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Wine Challenge. In 2022, World's Best Vineyards named Viña Montes the best in South America and the 4th best vineyard in the world. Purple Angel has received scores of 97 points from James Suckling across multiple recent vintages, while Montes Folly earned 97 points from James Suckling for the 2012 vintage. The winery produces approximately seven million bottles per year and exports around 95 percent of its production.

• Aurelio Montes Sr. received the International Wine Challenge Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020
• World's Best Vineyards ranked Viña Montes 4th in the world and best in South America in 2022
• Purple Angel 2022 received 97 points from James Suckling; Montes Folly 2012 scored 97 from Suckling
• Approximately 7 million bottles produced annually; 95% exported; distributed in more than 100 countries