Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Professional Ratings

• 99 James Suckling

  Fantastic aromas of blackcurrants and other dark fruit with crushed stone, iron and oysters, following through to a full body that shows incredible energy and depth, offering ripe yet fresh fruit, together with bright herbs and earth. Precision and balance of the intensity of the vintage. Layered. Perhaps the greatest Don Melchor ever made. Try after 2022.

• 97 Tasting Panel

  Created in 1987 by the Guilisasti family of Concha y Toro, Viña Don Melchor marks its 30th anniversary with this vintage; as of last year, the winery is independent. The statuesque, broad-shouldered red (98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc) offers up an impressive nose of tar, chocolate, and espresso. The body is ultra-plush, with notes of cedar and broad, generous strokes of violets, black olives, and black pepper. It’s a great example of sophistication and power.

• 95 Wine Spectator
  Suave, complex and elegant, with fine-grained tannins supporting the dried cherry, red plum and currant flavors. Cedar and forest floor notes show midpalate, leading to a long finish of cocoa powder and baker's chocolate details, accented by hints of apple wood smoke and white pepper. Drink now through 2032.
• 95 Wine Enthusiast

  A full, spicy nose is packed to the brim with smoky, toasty oak and earthy black-fruit aromas. A ripe, full and chewy palate is smooth in feel, while this classic Cabernet from Puente Alto in the Maipo Valley tastes of coffee, rich chocolate, toasty spices and blackberry. A lush, bold finish runs long, indicating that this will age well. Hold through 2040. Fetzer Vineyards.

• 94 Wine & Spirits
  Don Melchor, named for the founder of Concha y Toro, is based on a single parcel on a terrace above the north bank of the Maipo River. With this 2017, it’s now a stand-alone brand, led by winemaker Enrique Tirado and his team. The wine is a cool, black currant–scented classic from the Andean highlands, a powerful cabernet with quiet, Chilean restraint. The care of its farming shows in the detailed earthy tannins, which time in oak transformed into textural finesse. Top vintages from Puente Alto develop over the course of two decades or more, and this one should age beautifully.
• 94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  Marking its 30th anniversary, the 2017 Don Melchor was produced 30 years after the initial 1987. This is a wine that transcends vintages and shows great regularity, always combining elegance and power, with subtle mintiness and superb elegance. It's juicy, textured and velvety. This is a superb showing in 2017, a warm year and a fresh wine. Bravo! And the volume is not small—156,000 bottles were produced. It was bottled in December 2018. 94+