2021 Don Melchor
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Don Melchor is, to my palate, the most classic and timeless iteration presented in this vertical. It opens with a well-balanced, composed and textbook bouquet of cigar box, fresh herbs, blackberries and pencil shavings. On the palate, it is sumptuous yet elegant, combining a sleek, refined texture with the soft, gentle richness that is characteristic of this blend. It concludes with a graphite-driven, chiseled finish framed by chocolate-tinged tannins and lasting persistence. It's a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot that spent 15 months in 68% new barrels, the rest second-use.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot. Very grown up and complex. This really does stand head and shoulders above the rest in its complexity. See this tasting note . The star of my Christmas red-wine selection in 2024. (JR)
Full bottle 1,443 g. I see you now have to hunt for the name Concha y Toro on the label. Looks as though this topflight wine is being spun off to wallow in its independence. 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot. See this tasting article for the background to this exceptional wine. Just pouring it provides a waft of superlative ripe, characterful and certainly not overblown fruit. This is a glorious mix of fully ripe Cabernet obviously so comfortable in its home in Chile's prime Cabernet country just outside Santiago. There is that stony mineral character so special to this vineyard in abundance but the fruit overwhelms it and there is beautiful lift on the palate. Winemaker Enrique Tirado and consultant oenologist Eric Boissenot must be so thrilled with this very special vintage. It's already lovely but on the basis of that 2019 vertical tasting, I would expect it to have a very long life. The velvety tannins are still there in abundance. Chile can be very proud of this wine. (JR)
93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot. Cabernet Sauvignon from the Don Melchor vineyard comes from a mass selection of the first pre-phylloxera vines brought from Bordeaux at the end of the 19th century (35+ years old), ungrafted. Average yield five tons/ha, elevation 650 m. Deep garnet. Minty cassis and open on the nose. Chewy, deep, wholehearted with no make-up (the oak is well integrated). A big wine but harmonious. Powerfully flavoured with dried fruits on the finish. (JH)