This wine was a trip. We poured through an aerator into a decanter as the cork broke but even with that the wine benefitted from sitting for a bit. I’m going back to the wine shop for a few more bottles as this could age for another year or so, but frankly I don’t know if I could wait and may just have to open and consume upon return. Paired perfectly with a steak cooked on the grill but certainly is worthwhile on its own. Dark red fruits, vanilla, and some smoke and earthiness. This is one of the better wines I’ve had recently.
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Deep ruby- garnet, a bit if age, slight cooked fruit-soupy denoting oxidation and age, great acidity, balance, tannins. Drinks well, 2nd day no longer pleasant
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One of the best wines I've had in a while. Am a bit baffled by the low ratings on this. I had the '05 too many years ago and it was similarly striking and extraordinary. This is super detailed, intense, with a vibrant sweet core of fruit but balanced by dryness on the finish and a sublime licorice backdrop. So defined and precise but also so expansive and expressive. While I love plenty of Syrahs from California and Rhone, they seem flabby by comparison to this stunning beauty.
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Dark purple. Nice expressive nose PnP. Tale of two wine. There is still some blue fruit here, but spice and a little earth were right there at fist glass. Grainy tannins noticable Coming back after 3 or so hours the tannins settled in and the wine showed a little more grace and polish. The fruit was still there but now the spice, leather, coffee and bramble were the focus. This was a nice wine albeit probably overpriced. Drinking very well at the moment, it will probably continue to provide enjoyment for a few more years, though clearly it has plateaued. I would definitely suggest opening an hour or two ahead of time to give it a chance to settle in.
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A few years has passed since I tasted this previously. Did not like it very much then, but now totally different! Very nice! Very balanced, tertiary aromas, truffle etc...
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Deep purple in color. Big, but not as much alcohol as I anticipated, more restrained than other vintages I've had. Ripe dark fruits abound. Subtle spice on the finish, but the fruits definitely rule this wine. Some were more impressed than I was, but still a pleasant drink.
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So I had 2 bottles last week, though they both were nice. Deep purple, some harshness after breathing for a few hours but certainly enjoyable......Fast forward 3 night later when I happened to notice that one bottle wasn't kicked, no harshness mature wine nose and taste....a real treat......What does this tell me? I don't know but I will open a day or 2 before drinking the next bottle
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Deep red/purple color. Complex aromas of black fruits, mocha, violets, cedar and spices. Rich, lush chocolaty fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length. The tannins were very well-integrated and the wine was sauve and silky on the palate. Similar in style to a great Australian shiraz but a touch more structured and less hot. Delicious with the mixed grill at Retaurant 943. At beginning of peak drinking period.
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Excellent wine. Gorgeous high altitude acidity that is a completely juicy complement to the wine. Some ripe black fruit, balanced by a bit of charcoal and licorice and a lot of exotic spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. It is beautiful, but never quite comes together to be completely memorable like I thought it might upon open. 91-92. Maybe another point of upside. Still, a refreshing take on syrah. Oak is present, but seemed more integrated.
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Popped and poured. This was a hard one to judge. The nose is beautiful - explosive new world fruit (and alcohol burn), but also with a big, enticing Rhoney meat thing. On the palate, even more hard to pin down. The alcohol is there, but the fruit is oddly subdued - it's not a rich and sweet experience, it's a dry and mineral-driven feel, with medium tannins and nice strong acidity. The biggest problem by far here is the oak - it's got a good dose of charred bitterness on the tail end. I'm wondering if this was better 2-3 years ago, it almost feels like it's drying out. A very interesting wine, but probably not worth the $32 I paid for it (let alone the $50 sticker price).
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Strangely reserved when first opened, even after leaving open for about an hour plus brief decanting. Almost tasted old-world style, but opens up little by little. By the second day (after corking the rest for the night), it incredibly opened up, with intense fruit of blackberry and black currant, and sweet plum. This wine starts out slow -- unlike the powerful 04 -- but comes on strong in the end and matches the power of the 04 vintage.
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A bit of a vex...though I'm not going to end up on the right side of this since I paid $50 for this bottle. The last of my Follies (or plural of Folly), this Montes didn't live up to expectation. I love the vintner but the performance wasn't there (for the $). The nose is earthy, inviting. Hints of dark fruit on the palate, charred wood, earth and some sour cherry on the finish, which is clipped. Lacks stuffing, disjointed. I didn't try with meat so that might be my problem...but that's my story.
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Rich and layered fruit bomb that is probably peaking--I certainly couldn't imagine where it might go from here. Not much in the way of secondary notes but great blackberry, dewberry, cinnamon, and minerality more than made up for it. Not my kind of wine enough to justify the $60 price tag but as it was a gift I certainly can't complain. Great foil to some mind-blowing lamburgers.
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Very dark and opaque colour.Decanted and aired for 2 hours.Medium nose with dark fruit/berries and some spice and oak.The palate seemed initially quite peppery and edgy,but settled fortunately down,showing then medium smooth dark fruit,floral notes,pepper,hints of liquorice and a decent tannic grip on the finish.Good balance.Though not quite sure what to make of it in the long run.
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90-91. Rating based on opening up after several hours of air. Tasted pretty subdued and washed out at first, albeit smooth with good balance. At first i though high 80s. Aeration and warming from cellar temp helped and after 4-5 hours I was really enjoying it. I don't think it will ever be exciting or worth the price, even at the 1/2 of retail i got it for. That said, it is well made and a nice step up from their regular bottling. Really a balance between old and new world. Doubt there is too much upside, but plenty of life left.
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New world wine, with very forward fruit, although not necessarily over-ripe. Too much oak in my opinion. Nice flavors or black and blue berries, bacon fat, smoke. Wonder how this would taste if they dialed back the oak.
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Like storm clouds gathering strength on a dark horizon or an active volcano rumbling and aching to explode this brooding Syrah oozes intensity. Macerated blackberries, tar, charred meats, and anise permeate from a fleshy creamed black opal liquid. Assertive flavors envelope the palate with a core of tightly wound dark fruits, fried plum skins laced with edge of blueberry. Deeply concentrated wet violet petals, melted Belgian dark chocolate, white pepper, crushed espresso grind, and roasted vanilla bean add to an impressive complexity to this still sleeping giant. Folly finishes with a still palpable complexity and ultra fine tannin.
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Tasted May 26, 2007 at home. Opened and splash decanted about an hour before serving in a Spiegelau Authenthis Magnum glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Hot alcoholic nose of blueberries, white pepper, black currants and cocoa. Flavors of plums, black berries, black cherries and a lovely burning sensation down the back of the throat. Medium acidity, firm tannins, full body. Hold and hope. NOTE: I deliberately deducted 5 points from my final score because this wine is too hot.
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Very dark ruby color. Initially dominated by a melted butter aroma, it offered very ripe characteristics that border on over ripe but some how pulls it off. After 30 minutes, the melted butter goes away and is substituted by Chile's unmistakeable wet loamy note. I am sure this is Chilean, but I thought it was a Cab.
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i tasted this at the Wine Enthusiast's Event "Toast of the Town Chicago" last year and really liked it. tasted it again over the weekend with grilled ribeye steak and blue cheese. it has a dark inky color and soft nose of lavender and vanilla and sweet fruit. it was slightly tannic at first but opened up nicely leaving sweet fruit and hints of oak. surprisingly mellow and did not have a hot alcohol finish. not overly complex but well balanced. it went well with food, but i would prefer drinking this by itself.
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The previous notes do not jive with my impression as well. My single note from a tasting says "superb," which is singularly unhelpful but only informs that we liked it very much. I wish I could remember why.
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White pepper, lavender, sour blackberries, and espresso. A really concentrated wine with a wall of tannin one hits soon after taking a sip. Dry, dusty finish with a touch of menthol. Overpriced at $65 from internet retailer. Perhaps outstanding if cellared for 5 more years.
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8/18/2020 - seaninbrooklyn Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine was a trip. We poured through an aerator into a decanter as the cork broke but even with that the wine benefitted from sitting for a bit. I’m going back to the wine shop for a few more bottles as this could age for another year or so, but frankly I don’t know if I could wait and may just have to open and consume upon return. Paired perfectly with a steak cooked on the grill but certainly is worthwhile on its own. Dark red fruits, vanilla, and some smoke and earthiness. This is one of the better wines I’ve had recently.
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1/26/2020 - Cipivts Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep ruby- garnet, a bit if age, slight cooked fruit-soupy denoting oxidation and age, great acidity, balance, tannins. Drinks well, 2nd day no longer pleasant
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12/15/2018 - mats13 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Creamy mouthfeel, perfectly evolved dark fruit.
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11/13/2018 - John McCabe wrote: 97 Points
One of the best wines I've had in a while. Am a bit baffled by the low ratings on this. I had the '05 too many years ago and it was similarly striking and extraordinary. This is super detailed, intense, with a vibrant sweet core of fruit but balanced by dryness on the finish and a sublime licorice backdrop. So defined and precise but also so expansive and expressive. While I love plenty of Syrahs from California and Rhone, they seem flabby by comparison to this stunning beauty.
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3/12/2017 - JS1056 wrote: 89 Points
Dark purple. Nice expressive nose
PnP. Tale of two wine. There is still some blue fruit here, but spice and a little earth were right there at fist glass. Grainy tannins noticable
Coming back after 3 or so hours the tannins settled in and the wine showed a little more grace and polish. The fruit was still there but now the spice, leather, coffee and bramble were the focus.
This was a nice wine albeit probably overpriced.
Drinking very well at the moment, it will probably continue to provide enjoyment for a few more years, though clearly it has plateaued. I would definitely suggest opening an hour or two ahead of time to give it a chance to settle in.
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10/19/2015 - Burre Likes this wine: 93 Points
A few years has passed since I tasted this previously. Did not like it very much then, but now totally different! Very nice! Very balanced, tertiary aromas, truffle etc...
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11/28/2013 - justmill Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep purple in color. Big, but not as much alcohol as I anticipated, more restrained than other vintages I've had. Ripe dark fruits abound. Subtle spice on the finish, but the fruits definitely rule this wine. Some were more impressed than I was, but still a pleasant drink.
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10/3/2013 - jsebiri wrote:
So I had 2 bottles last week, though they both were nice. Deep purple, some harshness after breathing for a few hours but certainly enjoyable......Fast forward 3 night later when I happened to notice that one bottle wasn't kicked, no harshness mature wine nose and taste....a real treat......What does this tell me? I don't know but I will open a day or 2 before drinking the next bottle
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5/19/2012 - jwongham wrote: 85 Points
Big, interesting nose but, for me, this doesn't work. Overpriced.
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1/13/2012 - Zmwalk25 wrote:
Freakin great....
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8/6/2011 - hsacks wrote: 93 Points
Deep red/purple color. Complex aromas of black fruits, mocha, violets, cedar and spices. Rich, lush chocolaty fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length. The tannins were very well-integrated and the wine was sauve and silky on the palate. Similar in style to a great Australian shiraz but a touch more structured and less hot. Delicious with the mixed grill at Retaurant 943. At beginning of peak drinking period.
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4/24/2011 - bg2167 wrote:
Not my style.
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2/21/2011 - winegr wrote: 91 Points
Excellent wine. Gorgeous high altitude acidity that is a completely juicy complement to the wine. Some ripe black fruit, balanced by a bit of charcoal and licorice and a lot of exotic spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. It is beautiful, but never quite comes together to be completely memorable like I thought it might upon open. 91-92. Maybe another point of upside. Still, a refreshing take on syrah. Oak is present, but seemed more integrated.
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1/17/2011 - Patton wrote: 90 Points
Wonderful and outstanding, as it should be for over $50/bottle. Cheers!
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10/10/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. This was a hard one to judge. The nose is beautiful - explosive new world fruit (and alcohol burn), but also with a big, enticing Rhoney meat thing. On the palate, even more hard to pin down. The alcohol is there, but the fruit is oddly subdued - it's not a rich and sweet experience, it's a dry and mineral-driven feel, with medium tannins and nice strong acidity. The biggest problem by far here is the oak - it's got a good dose of charred bitterness on the tail end. I'm wondering if this was better 2-3 years ago, it almost feels like it's drying out. A very interesting wine, but probably not worth the $32 I paid for it (let alone the $50 sticker price).
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7/31/2010 - monkeylug wrote: 93 Points
Strangely reserved when first opened, even after leaving open for about an hour plus brief decanting. Almost tasted old-world style, but opens up little by little. By the second day (after corking the rest for the night), it incredibly opened up, with intense fruit of blackberry and black currant, and sweet plum. This wine starts out slow -- unlike the powerful 04 -- but comes on strong in the end and matches the power of the 04 vintage.
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6/14/2010 - jeffal66 wrote: 88 Points
A bit of a vex...though I'm not going to end up on the right side of this since I paid $50 for this bottle. The last of my Follies (or plural of Folly), this Montes didn't live up to expectation. I love the vintner but the performance wasn't there (for the $). The nose is earthy, inviting. Hints of dark fruit on the palate, charred wood, earth and some sour cherry on the finish, which is clipped. Lacks stuffing, disjointed. I didn't try with meat so that might be my problem...but that's my story.
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4/22/2010 - thirtyoneknots wrote:
Rich and layered fruit bomb that is probably peaking--I certainly couldn't imagine where it might go from here. Not much in the way of secondary notes but great blackberry, dewberry, cinnamon, and minerality more than made up for it. Not my kind of wine enough to justify the $60 price tag but as it was a gift I certainly can't complain. Great foil to some mind-blowing lamburgers.
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10/20/2009 - EricB wrote: 88 Points
Huge taste immediately after opening - seemed like high alcohol, but mellowed out quickly. Well balanced wine.
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10/8/2009 - Henman wrote: 88 Points
Very dark and opaque colour.Decanted and aired for 2 hours.Medium nose with dark fruit/berries and some spice and oak.The palate seemed initially quite peppery and edgy,but settled fortunately down,showing then medium smooth dark fruit,floral notes,pepper,hints of liquorice and a decent tannic grip on the finish.Good balance.Though not quite sure what to make of it in the long run.
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8/9/2009 - winegr wrote: 91 Points
90-91. Rating based on opening up after several hours of air. Tasted pretty subdued and washed out at first, albeit smooth with good balance. At first i though high 80s. Aeration and warming from cellar temp helped and after 4-5 hours I was really enjoying it. I don't think it will ever be exciting or worth the price, even at the 1/2 of retail i got it for. That said, it is well made and a nice step up from their regular bottling. Really a balance between old and new world. Doubt there is too much upside, but plenty of life left.
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6/25/2009 - sajjy wrote: 80 Points
watery,subdued flavors,non enjoyable.opened up slightly after an hour but very disappointing
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3/12/2009 - mmasterson wrote: 90 Points
New world wine, with very forward fruit, although not necessarily over-ripe. Too much oak in my opinion. Nice flavors or black and blue berries, bacon fat, smoke. Wonder how this would taste if they dialed back the oak.
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10/12/2007 - Cavalry19D wrote:
Like storm clouds gathering strength on a dark horizon or an active volcano rumbling and aching to explode this brooding Syrah oozes intensity. Macerated blackberries, tar, charred meats, and anise permeate from a fleshy creamed black opal liquid. Assertive flavors envelope the palate with a core of tightly wound dark fruits, fried plum skins laced with edge of blueberry. Deeply concentrated wet violet petals, melted Belgian dark chocolate, white pepper, crushed espresso grind, and roasted vanilla bean add to an impressive complexity to this still sleeping giant. Folly finishes with a still palpable complexity and ultra fine tannin.
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5/26/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 85 Points
WIML85,PURPLE88,NOWA,WS93
Tasted May 26, 2007 at home. Opened and splash decanted about an hour before serving in a Spiegelau Authenthis Magnum glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Hot alcoholic nose of blueberries, white pepper, black currants and cocoa. Flavors of plums, black berries, black cherries and a lovely burning sensation down the back of the throat. Medium acidity, firm tannins, full body. Hold and hope. NOTE: I deliberately deducted 5 points from my final score because this wine is too hot.
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5/24/2007 - hcampana wrote: 93 Points
'98 Dead Arm, '03 Montes Folley, '03 Catena Alta, '03 Luigi Bosca Gala & 4 high-end Mexican wines (Monterrey, Mexico): Red Wine No. 8
Very dark ruby color. Initially dominated by a melted butter aroma, it offered very ripe characteristics that border on over ripe but some how pulls it off. After 30 minutes, the melted butter goes away and is substituted by Chile's unmistakeable wet loamy note. I am sure this is Chilean, but I thought it was a Cab.
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4/17/2007 - LLim wrote: 90 Points
i tasted this at the Wine Enthusiast's Event "Toast of the Town Chicago" last year and really liked it. tasted it again over the weekend with grilled ribeye steak and blue cheese. it has a dark inky color and soft nose of lavender and vanilla and sweet fruit. it was slightly tannic at first but opened up nicely leaving sweet fruit and hints of oak. surprisingly mellow and did not have a hot alcohol finish. not overly complex but well balanced. it went well with food, but i would prefer drinking this by itself.
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3/16/2007 - Dulcie and Aylwin wrote:
The previous notes do not jive with my impression as well. My single note from a tasting says "superb," which is singularly unhelpful but only informs that we liked it very much. I wish I could remember why.
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1/16/2007 - 60ouvrees wrote:
Sweet, cloying out of balance. Undrinkable.
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5/29/2006 - SteinMA wrote: 90 Points
took a very long time to open up
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3/21/2006 - babnik wrote: 88 Points
White pepper, lavender, sour blackberries, and espresso. A really concentrated wine with a wall of tannin one hits soon after taking a sip. Dry, dusty finish with a touch of menthol. Overpriced at $65 from internet retailer. Perhaps outstanding if cellared for 5 more years.
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