An Angel Lands in SF

September 16, 9:33 PMSF Wine and Drinks ExaminerLiza Zimmerman

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Chilean wine dynamo Montes just launched its newest wine, NapaAngel, in our market this week. Pioneering winemaker and charm-master Aurelio Montes was making a line of wines so successful from his home country that the winery sells "15,000 cases of Montes Alpha Cabernet [Sauvignon] in Iceland," according to importer Alex Guarachi of TGIC Importers.

He followed his Chilean venture with a property on the other side of the Andes in Argentina. The Kaiken line from Mendoza features both a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Malbec, the great red grape that put Argentina on the map. The line is named after a wild goose that flies over the Andes between Argentina and Chile.

Calling Napa Valley a "cathedral of winemaking," Montes said he couldn't resist North American expansion just introduced the 2006 vintages of NapaAngel and Napa Angel Aurelio's Selection. Both are produced at Artesa Winery in Carneros. They are both Napa Cabernet Sauvignons, the first produced from vineyards in Coombsville and the second is sourced from Oak Knoll and Yountville.

The party at the Vitale, in keeping with the Angel theme, included winged "angels" bringing Aurelio the fruits of his harvest. Both wines are way too young to show well and both see a fair amount (dare I say too much) of new French Oak. The Aurelio's Selection is far more complex, but at $90 it should be. The NapaAngel is priced at $55.

An angel looking bashful after a wine delivery.

With a plethora of potentially good but way too young Napa Cabs on the market at the $100 price point I am not so sure our palates or wallets need more of the same. Nonetheless the winemaking, branding and cult of personality behind the wines are all solid and hopefully Aurelio and his team will eventually use their knowledge to create some great value wines stateside, as they have in Argentina. The Kaiken line prices out between $10 to $20 retail in California, according to Winesearcher.com.

Salud,
 

Liza the Wine Chick