Don Melchor

The nose is introverted and tight, with marked cedar and earthy notes, graphite, toasty oak and warm gravel. The palate is rounded and ripe, with a dense core of sweet cassis, dried rosemary, cedar oak and vanillin, showing huge concentration of fruit. The tannins are really well-defined and executed, with a polished mid-palate and good acidity underneath. Rich, layered and intense, with coffee, dried herbs, sweet cassis and a fresh, long finish.

According to winemaker Enrique Tirado, who has been in charge of Don Melchor since 1997, this new vintage is similar to the previous one, the brilliant 2021, although perhaps a bit more succulent. And we think he is right. This year it is 93% cabernet sauvignon, 5% cabernet franc, and the rest is equal percentages of merlot and petit verdot, all from the Tocornal Vineyard, with older vineyards planted in the late 1970s in this classic area of the Maipo Andes. The fruits and herbal notes are exuberant in this wine, and the nose is lovely and fresh. The palate offers lively acidity, the flavors of ripe red fruits envelop the palate, and the tannins are very fine and sharp. A 2021, broader, less penetrating in texture, but equally charming.