Founded in 2002 by Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes Sr., Kaiken aim is to craft premium wines which reflect the unique terroirs of top denominations in Argentina.
(Images: Kaiken Vistalba vineyard, Kaiken winery, Kaiken barrel cellar, Aurelio Montes Jr Kaiken Chief winemaker, Kaiken – wild goose that files from Chile to Argentina)
In 2000, Aurelio Montes Sr., winemaker and founding partner of Viña Montes in Chile, visited Mendoza in Argentina. He was immediately seduced by its people, terroir, viticulture and enology, and excited by the opportunity to both learn from and contribute his own experience to a wine industry open to innovation. In 2001, like the Caiquenes (wild geese) that fly over Patagonia between Argentina and Chile, Montes decided to cross the Andes Mountains and founded Kaiken. The aim was clear: to make great wines by combining the exceptional conditions of the Mendoza region with the talents of professionals from Argentina and Chile. Wines that show the best of both sides of the Andes.
The Kaiken team is passionate about excellence, creating wines that are the purest reflection of Argentina´s terroirs. Today Kaiken comprise a range of wines that stand out for their sensuality evoking the spirit of Argentina, home of the tango and its poetry.
In the language of the Pehuenches, the indigenous community that inhabited the Mendoza area, Mai means ‘first’, name chosen for our first icon wine. Mai is the perfect expression of Malbec from our terroirs in the Agrelo, Vistalba, and Vista Flores regions of Mendoza crafted with hand select grapes from 80-year-old vines.
Ultra Malbec and Ultra Cabernet are wines that express the wish of the Kaiken and Montes team of winemakers and growers to share their experience and knowledge of making high-quality wines on both sides of the Andes, particularly with these varieties emblematic of Argentina and Chile. They are accompanied by a white wine, Ultra Chardonnay. The wines have tremendous structure, complexity, and a long finish. The wines are known for their minerality, fresh fruit, elegance, and sensuousness.
The Terroir Series of special wines demonstrates Argentina’s viticultural history and distinctive varieties, through attractive and innovative wines sourced from the best terroirs. These are complex wines that blend the best Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec with varieties that have tremendous personality, such as Bonarda and Petit Verdot. Recently a Sauvignon Blanc from the Gualtallary area was introduced.
Written by Decanter
