The flagship wines commence with the 2005 Purple Angel, a blend of 92% Carmenere and 8% Petit Verdot. Opaque purple-colored, it has a splendid nose of pain grille, spice box, pepper, sage, blueberry, and blackberry jam. Smooth-textured, opulent, and sweetly-fruited, it cuts a wide path on the palate leading to a 45-second finish. It should gain additional complexity with another 4-6 years of bottle age. Drink it now through 2020. Under the enlightened leadership of Aurelio Montes, the Montes winery remains one of the standard-bearers for Chilean wines. The Carmenere-based Purple Angel is one of the two or three best of its type; the Folly is arguably Chile’s finest Syrah, and the Montes Alpha M one of the Cabernet-based icons.Importer: TGIC, Woodland Hills, CA; tel. (800) 924-0300

Ripe and plush, with a dense but reserved core of plum and blackberry fruit that will need some cellaring to get past the mocha, coffee and loam notes. Long and dark on the finish. Carmenère and Petit Verdot. Now in its third vintage, this is improving. Best from 2009 through 2011. 2,000 cases made.??–JM??Region: Chile / Central Valley-Chile / Rapel / Colchagua Valley Select to Add

Chile’s first high-profile, high-priced Carmenere has proven itself to be an excellent wine. The ’05 has a slight herbal DNA, but there’s plenty of oak, vanilla, raw fruit and texture to cover that up. On the palate, blackberry, prune and fine herbs comprise the flavors, while the finish turns thick and dense. With 8% Petit Verdot, Purple Angel continues to press the case for high-end Chilean Carmenere.——M.S.(5/1/2008)—— 91