2008 Don Melchor
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Tasting notes
In 2008 Chile was entrenched in a commitment to ripeness. Don Melchor took another path. Made during a warm year, this blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Franc, is purple with a brick dust meniscus and dominated by restrained flavors of black fruit jam, raspberries and hints of camphor. On the palate it has just a hint of lushness with some warmth and fine, reactive tannins growing ever more complex. Pleasant already but the future is truly promising.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 15 months in French oak barrels (72% new, 28% second-use). A little awkward tannin quality and out of kilter at the moment. Pretty chewy still. (JR)
The 2008 Don Melchor is a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc that is aged for 15 months in French oak (72% new and 28% one-year old.) It has a crisp, precise nose of blackberry, fish scale and fresh black olives. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins on the entry. It is grippy in the mouth with good weight, but manages to retain fine focus and builds nicely to a citrus-fresh finish with touches of orange peel and marmalade. Drink 2014-2020. Concha y Toro needs no introduction. I did not have time to visit their facility, but driving past it, one could not help but be impressed by its size. For many around the world, Concha y Toro forms their entrance to Chilean wine. With an exhausting array of wines from seemingly every corner of Chile, I found their wines to play it safe. Few reached the standards I expected, even if many represent good value. At the top end, the wines were good rather than great vis-a-vis its peers, with the notable exception of the Don Melchor. Importer: Excelsior Wine Company; www.banfivintners.com
Dark crimson. Sweet, black fruits, attractive and easy even if not that complex. A candified start and then some leathery fruit. Still lots of fine-grained tannin and quite a bit of alcohol on the finish but not fatally so. Falls away a little on the end. Well-handled fruit and oak and just a little astringent at present. (JR)