Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
-
James
Suckling -
Tasting
Panel -
Wilfred
Wong -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
More refined than even the perfect previous vintage. Very perfumed and aromatic with blackcurrant, sweet tobacco, and Spanish-cedar character. Full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that build on the palate and take the fruit and other flavors to an endless finish.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Very perfumed and aromatic with blackcurrant, sweet-tobacco and Spanish-cedar character. Full-bodied with ultra fine tannins that build on the palate and take the fruit and other flavors to an endless finish. More refined than the perfect 2018 and almost as compelling. Drink in 2023 or after.
-
Tasting Panel
The Don Melchor Vineyard lies at the foot of the Andes on the northern bank of the Maipo River, over 2,000 feet above sea level; this wine reflects that dramatic terrain. The velvetlined curtains open with streamlined notes of black coffee before plum and chocolate take center stage with spice and cedar. A magnificent performance featuring kirsch on the finish and cameos by Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Don Melchor stands tall as one of the world's top Cabernet Sauvignons, competing well against Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Red Mountain, and other major Cabernet enclaves. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of ripe fruit, dried earth, dust, wild herbs, and oak. Enjoy it with rosemary and garlic-infused roast leg of lamb. (Tasted: March 14, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
-
Wine Spectator
A standout red, offering svelte entry but quickly accelerating to a rich and well-structured state, built around never wavering flavors of black cherry, plum and baking spice, which gain dimension from fresh mineral acidity and subtle loam and bay leaf nuances. Ends with rich, well-integrated and mouthcoating tannins as well as hints of cocoa. Drink now.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There is a little more ripeness in the 2019 Don Melchor, which in warmer years shows notes of ripe plums and is subtly balsamic. The palate is round and powerful, with good balance and nice integration of the oak. As usual, there is a combination of elegance and power, with subtle mintiness and harmony.
Other Vintages
2020-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator - Vinous
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast - Decanter
-
James
Suckling -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Tasting
Panel -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine &
Spirits -
Robert
Parker
-
Wilfred
Wong
-
James
Suckling - Decanter
-
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling - Decanter
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Wilfred
Wong -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine &
Spirits -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling -
Wilfred
Wong -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine &
Spirits
-
Wine
Spectator -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine &
Spirits
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine &
Spirits
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Spectator
Don Melchor, named after Concha Y Toro’s founder, is among Chile’s most-acclaimed wines and a Cabernet that belongs in every conversation about world-class interpretations of this singular varietal. Winemaker Enrique Tirado says of his vision for the wine, “Don Melchor’s style, complexity, and elegance are the extension of the perfect balance between the rocky soils in Puente Alto, the cold winds that slide down from the Andes Mountains, the generous climate of the Maipo Valley, the number of years the vines have taken to yield their best grapes, and the meticulous and caring work of the human hand.”
The signature wine from the exquisitely tended Puente Alto vineyard, Don Melchor celebrates its 30th vintage with the 2016 release. Set at the foot of the Andes Mountains on the northern banks of the Maipo River in the Upper Maipo Valley, 650 meters above sea level, the vineyard dates back to the mid-19th century, when the first pre-phylloxera French varieties were brought to Chile. Today, the vineyard consists of 127 hectares, divided into seven parcels, 90% of which are Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.1% are Cabernet Franc, 1.9% are Merlot, and 1% are Petit Verdot. Each parcel has been subdivided in order for very specific, detailed work that responds to the particular needs of each plant, row by row, to achieve the perfect balance with the weather characteristics of each year. Average vine age is over 30 years.
Every year, Winemaker Enrique Tirado travels to the small town of Lamarque, Bordeaux, France, to meet with renowned Bordeaux consultant Eric Boissenot, to taste approximately 150 lots from the vineyard and determine which lots, and in which proportions, will go into the new vintage of Don Melchor. Once the final blend has been defined, the new vintage of Don Melchor is transferred to French oak barrels from the Allier, Tronçois, and Nevers forests. Nearly two-thirds of the barrels are new, and the remaining third have had one prior use. After 14–15 months, the wine is bottled and aged for another year to develop the complexity and elegance that Don Melchor is known for.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
The Maipo Valley is Chile’s most famous wine region. Set in the country’s Central Valley, it is warm and quite dry, often necessitating the use of irrigation. Alluvial soils predominate but are supplemented with loam and clay.
The climate in Maipo is best-suited for ripe, full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon (the region’s most widely planted grape), Merlot, Syrah and Carmenère, a Bordeaux variety that has found a successful home in Chile.
White wines are also produced with great prosperity, especially near the cooler coast, include Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.