The Story
Chile’s First Ultra-Premium Syrah
Montes Folly is an adventurous wine of exceptional quality; at same level of excellence level as Montes Alpha M, but as different in styles as the untamed sound of a sax in a jazz concert is to a Stradivarius violin at the opera. One wild; one classical. Both stunning; both reaching wine heaven.
Montes Folly grapes are grown on the steepest, highest slopes of our Finca de Apalta estate, in the Apalta Valley, where the incline is greater than 45 degrees. At less than 4 tonnes per hectare, yields are extremely low; grapes and clusters are much smaller and thus more concentrated than those from the vineyard´s lower slopes.
They deliver more color, tannins, and flavors, making Montes Folly richly complex and powerful. Harvest time on the steep vineyards requires a degree of gymnastics from our agile pickers. Grapes are hand-selected and sorted on a special selection tables: any grape not up to the quality required is discarded. Once in the tank, a bleeding of 20% is made to concentrate flavor, tannins and color. True to terroir, fermentation is triggered and completed by the grapes’ natural wild yeasts. The wine is aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak barrels. There is no fining and only one very light filtration before bottling. Production is limited to just 9,000 bottles. Our hopes and dreams go out with each and every bottle of Montes Folly.
Background
Aurelio's intuition led him to plant Syrah in the higher slopes of Apalta Mountain Estate. Thus the Montes Folly name was born: The conventional wine growers and trade considered it "Folly" to plant Syrah an untested variety in the region, and double "Folly" to do so in the higher slopes, extremely expensive to clear, plant and grow. The genius of Aurelio, however, had us all firmly believing from the start that Montes Folly would be the wild dream we sought, the perfect partner to our beloved Montes Alpha M.
Montes Folly art is designed by acclaimed illustrator Ralph Steadman and is considered a collector's item as his painting change at every available vintage.
Montes Folly is consistently ranked as one of the Chile's best Syrah. It production is limited to 9,000 cases of 6 bottles.
Wine Information
Production: 8,200 cases
Alcohol: 15.0%
pH: 3.66 g/l
Total Acidity: 3.52 g/l
Residual Sugar: 2.50 g/l
Filtering: None
Yield of Vineyard: 3 tons/ha (Hand-picked during night harvest. Grape by grape selection)