Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto Vineyard 2021
(Maipo Valley, Chile) - [JS 99] [TA 98] [VM 97] [WS 96, #1 Top 100 of '24]

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About the Winery:
Concha y Toro’s history begins in 1883 with their founder’s -Melchor Concha y Toro- dream to create the best wines. First produced over 30 years ago, their flagship wine was named in honor of the founded and now Don Melchor has reached a solid position that enables it to face new challenges, highlighting its maturity and ability to express its own identity through Viña Don Melchor.

This identity is built upon a base of three fundamental pillars—its impeccable heritage and history, the peerless conditions of its terroir, and the deep understanding and expertise in the making of the Don Melchor wine.

About the Vineyard:
Puente Alto is a privileged terroir, determined by the singular combination of soil, climate conditions, the vineyard, and a delicate human touch to craft vintages that are a faithful expression of this special place. Located at the foot of the Andes, 650 metres above sea level, the Don Melchor winery is set on the north bank of the Maipo River and has long been a keystone in the history of Chilean wine. Ever since French pre-phylloxera vines were imported in the mid-19th Century, this part of the Maipo Valley has been growing in prestige and quality, building on a past rich in tradition.

The vineyard today consists of 127 hectares, carefully divided into seven parcels, of which roughly 90 per cent hold Cabernet Sauvignon vines, with 7.1 per cent Cabernet Franc, 1.9 per cent Merlot and the final one 1 per cent growing Petit Verdot grapes. The Cabernet Sauvignon vines average more than 30 years of age and correspond to a selection originally brought over from Bordeaux at the end of the 19th Century.

About the Vintage:


Tasting Notes:
Deep violet in color, intense, and with a great aromatic complexity of red fruits together with floral notes of violets and roses. On the palate, it is a flavorful wine with a soft spell and a superb freshness, along with the elegance and power so characteristic of Puente Alto. It is a wine with a velvety texture, lush body, and a very long and persistent finish.

Technical Data

Cabernet Sauvignon 93%, Cabernet Franc 4%, Merlot 3%
ABV 14.8%

Vinification:
Bunches were hand-harvested in 10-kilogram bins. Once in the winery, a selection of clusters and grapes is made before beginning the vinification process. Alcoholic fermentation was carried out in stainless steel tanks and lasted nine days at 25 to 26°C (77 to 79°F). During the first half of fermentation, three pump-overs were carried out daily, moving one volume of juice per day and then decreasing it to half or a third towards the end of alcoholic fermentation. Once the fermentation process was complete, the tank was hermetically sealed for a maceration of approximately one week (shorter than usual) at temperatures between 23 and 25°C, for a softer extraction of tannins. At the end of the maceration period, the wine is racked, tasted and selected by Don Melchor's winemaking team and sent to French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging. Later in July, wines are tasted and chosen to make the final blend, which is then transferred back to barrels to finish aging before bottling.

Aging Potential: Over 35 years.

99 Points - James Suckling:
Ashy graphite, cassis, iron, blackberries and a hint of cigar box and chocolate. Lots of violets, too. Rich and intense with a full-bodied palate. Showing density and very fine but structured tannins. Long and intense finish with lots of flavors. 93% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc and 3% merlot. One of the best over the last few years. Drinkable now, but will fledge and hold very well in the next 20 years.

97 Points - Vinous Media:
 The 2021 Don Melchor is dark garnet red in the glass. The restrained nose offers pure fruity notes such as blackcurrant with hints of leaves and black tea, refined woody aromas, and gentle touches of plum and red bell pepper. In the mouth, it’s intense with mild juiciness and rounded tannins. The taut palate gradually grows more profound as it develops cedar flavors at the back of the throat before the long, rewarding finish. A wine that is more suggestive than explicit as it slowly envelops you in its different layers. The added freshness brings out the clarity of the fruity flavors. (Drink between 2026-2041)

96 Points, #1 Top 100 Wines of 2024 - Wine Spectator:
A remarkable effort that channels the finesse of the vintage with rich, muscular edges, offering a base of graphite and cassis notes that gather around elegant layers of dried rosemary and white pepper. The richly textured core of raspberry and plum flavors show precision and just enough acidity to keep things sailing onto the finish around well-integrated tannins and touches of cocoa. Best from 2026 through 2040. 5,000 cases imported.—Aaron Romano