2019 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor
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Tasting notes
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor is also 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot and spent 15 months in 75% new French barrels. Vivid garnet in color. The rich, complex nose presents notes of black currant, mint, and hints of balsam and ash over a bed of oak and a whiff of cedar. In the mouth, hefty volume, fine-grained tannins and a broad expression combine, supported by a structure that is rather delicate for a wine of this intensity. The long-lasting finish ends with an aftertaste of fruit and mint before the oak has the final say. This will grow in the bottle.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. Hand-harvested between 18 March and 9 May. Each block vinified separately in stainless steel. Fermentations lasting 8–10 days at 25–26 °C with 4–6 pumpovers per day. Extended maceration for 8–10 days at 23–25 °C. 15 months in 72% new, 28% second-use French oak. pH 3.65. Intense rich black fruits on the nose, dense with spicy oak and a touch of vanilla. Having just seen the 2010, this needs some time and that oak will integrate seamlessly. Ripe and round with a touch of fresh pyrazine and a firm acid backbone. This will be even more delightful in a few years. (SCJ)
Very youthful primary nose showing dominant oak, but with graphite, earthy notes, cassis, forest floor and crushed blueberry beneath. There is a distinct smoky character with very detailed tannins, ripe dark fruits, a dense saturated mid palate with bags of sweet dark fruit. It has good acidity to balance the densely textured rich core. Not as refined as the superlative 2018, but still a very impressive wine. Will improve. (AC)
Full bottle 1,446 g – a bit too heavy but far from the worst offender from South America. Slightly warmer season than average for the 33rd vintage of this wine. 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. Hand-picked from 18 March right through to 9 May at a yield of four tons per hectare. Eight-day fermentation with three pumpovers a day in tank which was then hermetically sealed for an eight to 10-day maceration at 23–25 °C for greater extraction and smoother tannins. At the end of the maceration period, each tank was drained, tasted, and evaluated for selection by the Don Melchor enological and viticultural team. All of the wines were later tasted and selected to make the final blend, which was then transferred to barrels where the wine was aged for15 months in French oak barrels (72% new and 28% second use). Bright mid crimson. Rich nose but delightful restraint on the palate with just a hint of charcoal on the end. Freshness belies the alcohol level. Great persistence. Very opulent texture but not sickly. Even more rewarding in a few years' time. (JR)