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Intensely expressive, with red fruit, violets and floral notes followed by blackcurrant and blackberry; a smooth entry opens into a sumptuous, concentrated palate of great energy and breadth, fine textures and a long, fruit-filled finish.
Available in store
Close95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot
Food pairings: Grilled beef tenderloin or rib-eye, slow-roasted lamb, game and aged hard cheeses.
Scores:
Winemaking: The grapes were picked by hand into 10-kilo bins between March 17 and May 5, 2022, most of the Cabernet in April, and sorted twice, first as clusters and then as berries. Fermentation in stainless steel lasted 8 to 10 days at 24 to 26°C, followed by 5 to 10 days of post-fermentation maceration for smoother tannins. Each lot was tasted and selected by the winemaking and vineyard teams and racked to French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation; the final blend was assembled in July and returned to barrel. In total the wine aged 15 months in French oak, 72% new, and was bottled in December 2023.
Vineyards and terroir: Don Melchor comes from the Don Melchor vineyard on the northern bank of the Maipo River in the foothills of the Andes, at 650 meters in the D.O. Puente Alto, Alto Maipo Valley. A loam topsoil over abundant gravel gives good drainage and low fertility, restraining vine vigor and favoring ripe tannins. The oldest vines date from 1979. The 2022 season had very even temperatures and a cool ripening period, averaging slightly below normal, with only 123 mm of rain, giving wines of great aromatic expression.
Family and history: Don Melchor is one of Chile's most celebrated wines, first made with the 1987 vintage. Enrique Tirado, CEO and technical director of Viña Don Melchor, is one of the winemakers with the deepest knowledge of the Puente Alto appellation, and blends the expression of each Cabernet parcel into a single, balanced wine. The 2021 vintage was named Wine Spectator's number one wine of 2024.
In the pictures: Enrique Tirado in the Don Melchor vineyard; the Don Melchor vineyard in Puente Alto with its circular "sundial" planting and the Andes beyond; and Casa Don Melchor, the historic house at the estate (all courtesy of Viña Don Melchor).
