We got hold of Purple Angel 2019 ahead of the critics releasing their scores this year. The 2018 was awarded 98 points by James Suckling and 97 points by Tim Atkin MW, causing it to sell out rapidly. So, after a dry and healthy vintage in Colchagua, we don't recommend waiting for the scores to be released before snagging your bottles of the latest release. This vintage of Purple Angel from Montes has a lovely freshness, suggesting that it's built for the long haul. As usual, it's a rich, vegan-friendly Carmenère with a splash of Petit Verdot to add tannin, colour and floral aromas. Heady and spicy, this is a red you can really get your teeth into. It's concentrated, energetic and unashamedly oaky having spent 18 months in new barrels. Combine its dark chocolate, Christmas cake, blackberry, cassis, mocha, dried herb, nutmeg, sea salt, vanilla, toast, almond croissant and creamy oak flavours with red meat, slow cooked stews and deeply umami dishes. Colchagua is home to Chile's finest and most famous wines. Viña Montes is one of the legends working in this area. Created by Aurelio Montes Baseden in 1987 with the ethos of creating boutique wines. Aurelio not only made the wines, but marketed them abroad and consulted for the likes of Casa Lapostolle. Montes'vegan-friendly Purple Angel comes from vineyards in the Marchigüe and Apalta areas of the valley and has become an icon of Chilean wine and Bordeaux's forgotten grape variety.£9.6 per 100.00ml