Awarded a Perfect 100 Points, 2018 Don Melchor Is a Rare Release that Showcases All Four Bordeaux Varieties Planted in the Iconic Puente Alto Vineyard
April 6, 2021 (Santiago, Chile) – Viña Don Melchor has announced their next release – 2018 Don Melchor – scheduled to debut in April 2021. More than thirty vintages after its first release, Don Melchor has accomplished an unparalleled record, showcasing Chile’s potential for crafting world-class Cabernet Sauvignon from Puente Alto Vineyard. Highly anticipated, 2018 Don Melchor is one of the few Chilean wines to receive a perfect 100-point score from global wine critic James Suckling, and constitutes a rare release composed of four varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
“Don Melchor is the constant quest for the best expression of every vine in the vineyard, so as to capture the beauty of the balance of the Puente Alto terroir,” said Enrique Tirado, winemaker and general manager of Viña Don Melchor. “This is my true obsession. I use technology as a tool for attaining a deeper understanding, but more than that, watching and touching each plant and each vine is what allows us to attain the perfect balance in each vintage.”
In the tradition of First Growth Bordeaux, Don Melchor is known for its artful blending process, an annual collaboration between Tirado and expert blender Eric Boissenot, designed to find the truest expression of Puente Alto. The unique weather conditions in 2018 allowed the team to showcase the beauty of the composition between all four Bordeaux varieties planted in Puente Alto, with a perfectly balanced blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. The vintage was warmer than average, but unlike 2017 a more even distribution of rainfall allowed for steady maturation of multiple varieties. Harvested by hand between March and May, 2018 Don Melchor shows expression and complexity of small red fruits and floral notes. On the palate, the wine is full of flavor and elegance, defined by well-integrated tannins and a long, refined finish. The wine has an aging potential of 35 years.
“We call our approach the ‘Beauty of the Composition’ to capture the artistry that defines each vintage,” explains Tirado. “When we start working on the blend, we have not one expression but hundreds of micro-vinifications to consider that collectively represent the distinct flavors, aromas, textures and color variations of our terroir. Creating the final assemblage of Don Melchor is like painting in many colors and tones to illustrate the beauty of this extraordinary vineyard.”
2018 Don Melchor retails for a suggested $120/750-ml bottle and will be available as of April 2021. For more information, please contact Helen Gregory, helen@gregoryvine.com, or Amanda Davis, amanda@gregoryvine.com
About Don Melchor
Don Melchor is a legacy wine from Chile, first created in 1987 by the Guilisasti family of Concha y Toro and named for their forefather in Chilean wine. A Cabernet Sauvignon of refinement and elegant character, Don Melchor represents a singular expression of the Puente Alto Vineyard in the upper Maipo Valley, overseen by winemaker Enrique Tirado since 1995. The 7 parcels of Don Melchor are harvested independently to support over 150 micro-vinifications in the cellar, then tasted and selected for the final composition. In a tradition that dates back over 30 years to their first vintage release, Don Melchor is known for the ‘Beauty of the Composition,’ an annual collaboration with the Boissenot family in Bordeaux designed to find the truest expression of Puente Alto. Don Melchor was the first wine to showcase Chile’s profound potential for quality, with an unparalleled record as a collector’s Cabernet Sauvignon. The second vintage of Don Melchor (1988) was the first Chilean wine to be named to Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the World, where it has since placed nine times, including three placements in the Top 10. Currently in its 32nd vintage release, Don Melchor is one of the world’s most awarded wines – and launched as an independent winery, Viña Don Melchor, in fall 2019.
