Black black black impenetrable black thick vibrant stuff with thin ruby edges and heavy sediment. Big burnt tire, ripe candied fruit, dusty beautiful velvet wilted rose and pistachio fruit all crammed into something so concentrated, so sharp, so beautiful… and yet: teetering on oxidized, could this be slightly over-the-hill?
While I am a big fan of all the Montes offerings, the Folly has always been my favorite. Young, its rambunctiousness knows no bounds, and with a little age the patina of world-class 100% Syrah starts shining from around the corners until post-10, when all the funk and fruit coalesce into absolute nectar.
In the mouth, the directness of fruit and vigor is assualting. Incredulously black, thick on the palate, *chewy* doesn’t even begin to do it justice. Acid props up all sides and nowhere is an alcoholic burn–although I am guessing a solid 15-oh. Stemmy bitterness alongside sharp Vit-C race hand-in-hand with mountainous concentration. Everything ripe and fresh on the palate–NOTHING here reflects the earlier judgement of oxidization. But the nose never lies. Maybe in a *dumb* stage where bouquet is not fully developed? I’ve had Folly’s far older which showed none of this flabbyness in the nose. Anyway… a fabulous wine, but one I’d keep an eye on.
2009 MONTES FOLLY Syrah Alpalta Valley Santa Cruz Chile 15.0
Stephen McConnell 