Lots of mushrooms and tertiary notes at first that dissipated after a 30-min decant. Still very evolved with forest notes, but the fruit is still a bit present, and that typical greenness from Chile / Argentina. Few tannins left. Good wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank beautifully when paired with NY strips. Decanted for 2 hours. At beginning, nose of leather, some floral hints with some dark fruit. Then when drinking tannins are smooth and finish lasts 25 plus seconds
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (M&R's): Double decanted off its sediment about three hours before dinner, remaining under cork until service. Dark plummy fruit and leather aromas. Tannins are nearly fully integrated. Plush and full, with plum and black fruit and a nice green herbaceous streak. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slow ox’d for about 5 hours. Fresh fruit forward nose with notes of plum, black cherry, and milk chocolate. The palate is supple, the tannins are polished, finish is long. Blackberry, plum, black cherry, and coffee. Excellent wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 3+ hours. Still tightly wound and took some more time for aromas and flavors to sing. Fruit is faded, but great tertiary characteristics. Last glass the next morning was awesome!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
4th Saturday Group brown bagger (R&D's): Blind. Aromas of red and black fruit with herb and mocha overtones. Balanced and nicely integrated, there's no more tannin to integrate. flavors of red plum, herb and something a touch vegetal. I was fairly certain this was our bottle. Drinking very well right now, at peak for my palate. 92-93 pts.
This was double decanted off its sediment ninety minutes before the flight was poured. As I revisited this with dinner, some 3.5+ hours after the cork was pulled, it was still going strong and had not faded at all.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I had a 2007 a couple of weeks ago that blew my mind. 1 hour decant, and it was just amazing. After 2 hours, this 2004 was as tight as a knot. I out it away and let it breathe for 14 hours. This made it open, but it appears a bit young. Too much taste of alchohol, and tannins were not as fine as I expect them to be. It still worked really well with Iberico Bellota from the grill with romanesco sauce.
The 2004 is expected to last for +30 years, so I will hold the rest of my bottles for some years before a next bottle..
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cloudy crimson-ruby color. Delicious nose of sliced ripe blackberries laced with red berries. Absolutely delicious with notes of ripe mulberries dominating alongside lesser notes of blackberries and wild strawberries. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine is dark purple colored, not showing its age. The legs are slow. There was light sediment in the bottle. It smells like forest floor, cedar and black currant (cassis). It tastes like black currant (cassis) and cedar. The body is medium/full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes long.
This is a smooth tasting wine that just might have maxed out a while ago. Enjoyable. I am looking forward to comparing to the 2006 version. not sure i would pay the current price for this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I'm liking it even more! I agree with others that color betrays no age, and the decanted nose is still a powerhouse. Bright eucalyptus rules the early palate. This was entirely worth the wait and I'll drink one per year until 2026 and hold the last for fun!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wet underbrush and anise in the nose. Still lively with red berry, black pepper and integrate tannins and acidity. Dries just a bit. Drink any time. I’d be really hard pressed to believe this will have much stuffing left come the WA’s end drinking date of 2032. I’d say 5 years or less.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This really opened up - and came together over 16 years. Serious dark notes of tar and dirt have matured into a still fruit-forward wine with a deep tannin backbone.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
wow. Decanted for an hour. Dark purple, with no hint of its age. This is drinking beautifully. Cranberry and cedar, with a hint of herbs like mint or eucalyptus. Very well balanced, with a full texture and a touch of sweetness. Tannins have faded. After three hours, completely morphs into green pepper.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinks softly but with a nose that just pops out at you with rich complexity of i'd say well integrated "prune, chocolate, tobacco and cedar" wrapped in "cassis."
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Note from previous bottle consumed eight months ago still applies. This is a superb wine. The only difference is a sense in this bottle that there is little upside from here. That was not obvious to me in our last.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine has aged well through the years. It has classic Bordeaux profile with the Chilean loam coming through. Powerful but balanced with some nuance. I believe this has years to go.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is still quite primary, though the tannins have really softened. The earthiness that I remember from young Melchors of this timeline is also gone. In its place is a very smooth, ripe Cab showing well integrated oak notes. It was quite pleasant with dinner, and enjoyable on its own afterward. Many people will like this for the wealth of fruit and smoothness. I thought it was nice, but a little simple and not something that I would be particularly happy spending $60 (release) or $100 (current pricing I believe on this wine).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The best Don Melchor I recall I ever tasted! I have a short vertical of this wine between 2001-2006 but stopped buying thereafter because of the steep price increase (now well over $100 at our LCBO stores), but damn this wine was almost worth buying again!
Pulled from 13C cellar and let sit for 24 hours. As usual this wine need some air time after opening, so opened and let sit for 2 hours before serving. Excellent blackcurrant fruit that is perfectly integrated with dusty tannins, full bodied.
Definitely in drinking window at peak now but can keep for a few more years. It's unfortunately the last of my 2004's but can't wait till to try the 2005's! It's just too bad this wine has shot up in price so much.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking well. Moderately aged. No longer tannic. Dark-fruited, with nice earthy tones. Drank over two days, and it was just as good, if not a bit better, on Day 2 than on Day 1.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking remarkably well for a 14 year old wine. Loads of tobacco and dark fruit. This wine has plenty of life left. Would decant next time just to round out the tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A terrific bottle. Black cherry, tobacco and eucalyptus, everything we hope to find with leathery secondary nuances. Still lots of room for tertiary development. Would hold another bottle, if I had one, to 2025.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Needed a magnum for a family dinner of grilled roast beef. This did nicely.
The wine is holding up well, but I had some trouble with the cork on this one. I’ll try to save my last 750ml for another couple years to see what changes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Finishing up the remnants of the bottle tasted two days prior. Plum and dark fruit persists with a lingering spice undertone. Just a hint of loamy earth underneath. Balanced; finishes with nice length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Some light bricking. Tons of sediment. Plush smooth plum and cassis notes. The rough edges are gone- dense rounded tannins on the finish. I'd say this is near peak.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Expressive Nose is dark-fruited; noticeable tar, too. Purple fruited and a bit funky on the palate. This has certainly found its way to a "relaxed" point in its evolution, and it's drinking beautifully right now. Still plenty of time to go in the cellar, but if you like your "aged" wines on the young side then Go Time is now. Drink now and over the next 10 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wasn't sure what to expect. Let breathe for just over an hour. Pleasant nose. Fruit is bold and tastes like a Cali cab with about 10-15% of old world mustiness. Good finish. Would never be able to identify as Chilean.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and drank over two hours. Dark purple w some bricking around the edges. Plumb, hints of licorice and cinnamon, good concentration, medium finish. Nicely done in a style that splits old and new world, will go another 5 yrs but will become more elegant... but my last bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
- Brick color with slow forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry and strawberry with a medium body. Satin-Like texture with a medium finish - Gear bottle of wine
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classic Don Melchor. Dark and dense wit grippy tannins. Layers of tar, graphite, current, black berry, licorice, and dusty cocao notes. Drinking at peak I would presume.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Seemed fully mature, nose of alcohol, tree sap and resin. Mild to moderate tannins with a bit of heat, black pepper, tar and blueberry. I think drink 1-3 years. Lots of sediment, be careful and stand it up a bit before decanting to save a mouthful of sediment.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
blinds (kie-gol-lanee, chicago IL): Nose: The nose is well balanced and aromatic with dark red cherries, cassis, leather tones, bell peppers, licorice, earth tones, and some loamy notes.
Taste: Full bodied with medium+ tannins and medium acidity. The tannins are silky and starting to resolve while the acidity is balanced. The feel is refined with a touch of warmth to the fruit along with dark red cherries, cassis, leather tones, bell pepper, and loamy notes.
Overall: This is drinking beautifully right now. It is well balanced with excellent depth and class. This did need the better part of 2+ hours decanting, but really shone once it was fully open.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Garnet color, bricking. More advanced than expected based on prior experience with other Don Melchors; less black currant and eucalyptus too. Muted cocoa-y flavors, lots of sediment. Very drinkable but not what I'd hoped for. Remaining bottle goes in the drinking queue!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for three hours; heavy sediment. Garnet color with slight bricking. Nice nose of cassis, vanilla, leather and minerals. Full-bodied and complex dark fruits on the palate, well structured by ample acids and soft tannins. Brought a smile to my face which lasted through a lengthy and smooth finish. You can no longer find a Cali cab of this quality at this price ($50). It is at its peak, and should drink well for several more years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clear dark purple in colour. Clean nose of cedar and cassis. Dry, med body, med acidity, smooth tannins, lots of floral, cedar, cassis, and blackberry on plate. Nice finish. Great wine. Still drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for an hour. Impenetrable colour. Heady cassis nose. Plush cassis, dark fruit, sandlewood. Sweet & savoury. Plush tannins. Good tannins. Plenty of years of life ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened and decanted for an hour, dark red in color some light bricking on the edge. Lots of red and blue fruit, hints of smoke and spices, tannis resolved nice finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow. Bought this when I first came out, waited a long time before opening. It can go for quite a bit more. Balanced and integrated, but not yet thin. Velvety, smooth. Blackberry, chocolate with a finish of eucalyptus. Picking up some vanilla or oak on the aroma. Fantastic!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
At its peak! So delicious with lovely dark fruit, without being a fruit bomb, and a very slightly earthy finish. The tannins have mellowed out nicely. Wish I had a few more bottles!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
wow,nice to have a mature wine for dinner! Smooth, bold, bodied. No alcohol resistance. good fruit flavor but not a berry wine such as a zin. Lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (Sue's): Opens with notes of dark fruit and herbs with a nice smoky undertone. Full-bodied and balanced, with good structure, tannin, dark fruit and plum. Develops an interesting asphalt/tar note. Finishes with good length and plenty of fruit. I was surprised to see this unveiled as the 2004 Don Melchor as I have had the 2004 as well as other vintages quite a few times and I don't recall ever having gotten a tar note. 93+ pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 2004 Don Melchor (94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc) displays a nose that is dark and black currant driven along with cedar, coffee bean, tobacco as well an herbal/menthol note that leads to a full bodied, silky mouth-coating wine that is blackberry dominant along with spice and wood flavors that linger on the finish. And I'll spare everyone my feelings and opinions on where the pricing of this wine has gone ;)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Seems hard to believe that it was six years ago since I last enjoyed this wine. Pulled from a 55 degree cellar, where it's resided since 2008. Perfect cork with no problems with intrusion. Lots of development, but still has many years left. I was expecting this to be thinner and displaying more red fruits....wrong on both counts. Still big, dark and full bodied, and more expressive than back in 2010. Nose displays dark berries, iodine, and a slight hint of black coffee. Dried blackberry, black plum, vanilla creme, coffee grounds, leather, and cedar mulch and dark dirt flavors. Still has both silky tannin and mild acid underneath to support future cellaring. Generally dry in the mouth, setting up a long finish. Enjoyed with a chargrilled ribeye, and it did alright. Impressive and a very good QPR at $50. Surprisingly little sediment in the decanter on the end of the night night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Occasional tasting group (By TBa @ WN Top South America plus some extra's.): Deep bouquet with sweet spices, oak and dark forest fruits. On the palate dark berries, chocolate, sweet spices like cinnamon, beautiful acidity and round and soft tannin. Beautiful wine, ready now and a future of several years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted immediately after opening and decanting. Wonderful nose of ripe fruit and graphite. Smooth, plush and fruit forward with a long finish. A beautiful wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is the last bottle of a case purchased in 2007. I seem to have had a higher opinion about this one than the average CT.com reviewer and have loved every bottle. However, it seems to have been on a slight decline since 2013. There seem to be a lot of bottles left in cellars out there. I would drink up.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted about 90 minutes. May need to breathe a bit longer to open up but all not in agreement on that one. Very nice nose. Pleasant black fruit with non subtle graphite and some tannins. The least appealing feature was the finish. A bit weak and leaves the back of the tongue wanting more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really lovely nose with black fruits, tobacco and pencil shavings. It’s actually a little more restrained than I expected with a savoury edge to the fruit and a lovely cedarwood and cigar-smoke character running across the palate. There is a bit of grip, but it’s fine and ripe. Very good, but still reasonably primary.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rich currant, dark berry, coffee, mineral, some torrefaction, but cool, clean and really focused. Minty, ripe palate that verges on blueberry, quite succulent but still very structured. Pretty suave wine, reminds me of Beringer Private Reserve, a nice surprise, drinking really well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Full body, dark garnet red color. Intensively aromatic, typical for Cabernet Sauvignon dominant black fruits, spices, black pepper, oak and floral notes aroma. Ripen black currants and blueberry, plum, cedar wood and dark chocolate, very spicy on the palate, hot, peppery and juicy on extra-long finish. Powerful and rich but still refreshing, bold structure and heavy texture, complex and well balanced, lovely acidity, completely integrated sweet tannins. Food friendly, best match is red meat, but well associates with not dominant cheeses. Serve 18º - 24º. Open half hour in advance. At peak now and promise to stay in same condition about five years Drink now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened by Allred. Decanted for 45 minutes. Part of a 5 bottle vertical. Blackish red color. Needs the most time out of the 5 bottles. Some alcohol and heat in this wine. Notes of spices and cassis. My least favorite of the group. 89-90 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted forty five minutes before dinner. Aromas of black fruits and cherry, herbs and loamy earth. Has a subtle licorice undertone. Balanced but has some tannin to shed. Black fruit, berries, mint and dried herb flavors. Some oak/wood on the lengthy finish. Give this a few years yet; drink from 2018+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened by Allred. This was my least favorite upon opening, but gradually came around on me. Dark fruits with partially integrated tannins. This may end up being better than the others with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nez expressif de mazout qui s'atténue au fil de la soirée. Fruit noir, cassis, prune. Terreux. Bouche équilibrée, longue et onctueuse. Tannins enrobés. À boire maintenant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really nice lift in the nose with raspberry framed by oak. On the palate, classic cabernet, red currant, moderate tannin, oak, vanilla and baked notes on exit. Time to go, can age some more as well. On the negative, the tannins seem just a bit too exuberant for the remaining fruit. I might keep this on a short leash, 2-4 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Purchased on release, Decanted for about a hour, IMHO still has 5 years plus left... Nice fruit and still had a bit of a grip on the palate which i enjoyed...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clear, deep ruby. The nose is clean, with medium (+) aromas of blackberry and black currant, red plum, vanilla and mocha. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, medium (+) tannins and medium (+) alcohol (14.5%), all nicely integrated and well balanced. This is a full-bodied red which manages to maintain a certain elegance and finesse. Drinking well now and in its sweet spot, but not showing signs of advanced age. A nice bridging of styles between Bordeaux and Napa. This punches well above its price point. 6% Cabernet Franc.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 2 hrs. Nose was red and blue fruits with some alcohol left. Medium palate. Red fruits, well balanced with oak notes, vanilla and a hint of spices. Well integrated tannins. Finish is very long and enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Starting to show it's age. I wouldn't wait too much longer. A faint touch of mint on the nose along with dried herbs currant and cherry. Drinking well with a nice aged steak this evening. A nice bottle but don't think I'd spend 60+ on a more current release.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not aging as well as the 1994 that I had at a great party a few years ago. Bought retail but it's been cellared well since. Good now but fruit starting to disappear and wood filling it's place. I liked it today without food but will drink my other two bottle more quicker than I thought.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is an excellent wine with a well integrated blend of fruit and silky tannins. Paired beautifully with a cap steak and red wine reduction sauce. Could still drink over the next year or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really nice stuff. Nose of red and black fruits with a hint of tobacco and mint. On the palate, rich and dense with black currant, bright red cherry, mint, and tobacco. Nice lift on a grippy finish. Need to find more as this got better as the night went on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had this one with rib eye steak. It went well with dinner and had lots of Chilean loamy earth character. However, not quite as enjoyable as previous bottles.
(After checking previous notes I was comparing this to 2003 vintage as I don't have any 2004 reviews recorded since joining CT a few years ago. So it's been a few years at least since my last 2004. NTS: better make some plans to crack a magnum this summer:)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
One of the best Chilean wines I've had the pleasure of drinking in recent memory. Very well made. Classic Cabernet profile with an slight emphasis on old world style. Lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Taste: Medium/Full bodied with medium acidity and good supporting tannins. The structure still shows youth, but it isn't over powering with bell peppers, dark red cherries, licorice, and cedar tones.
Overall: This was showing very well. It also has a long way to go as the structure is still quite there and it's not showing all too much in the way of secondary flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lots of smokey earth and tar on the nose with some dark fruits...maybe a hint of blueberries too. Palate had some serious viscosity and density to it but was also nicely balanced. Definitely a dark and deep wine...but with some more time this should continue a shift towards elegance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was really, really sweet, and just a bit jammy on both the nose and palate, but showing a slight bit of scorched earth on the side. Fully resolved tannins. Not a bottle of wine masquerading as anything else, this is what I expected in its entirety from a high-end South American Bordeaux blend. Age has treated this wine very, very well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark purple/red color. Decanted for 2 hours, drank 2 glasses over 1.5 hrs. This still took awhile to open in glass, but became perfumed with moist earth, red fruits, briar, brambly fruit, red berries, pencil lead, cassis, and later some dried forest floor. The palate is full bodied, earthy, loam, silky, oak - moderate and fairly integrated, dark red fruits and cassis, plum, medium grained and somewhat firm tannins with some pleasant spice on the finish. This was quite good, but - it did become very deeply earthy in a pungent kind of way that after the first hour started to become somewhat one dimensional and a little distracting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Served 3 hours after decanting. Heavy amounts of VA on serving, which blew off in the glass. Lots of tannins doing their best to mask the black fruit which is definitely there. Still very young and deserving of more cellar time, but it will be interesting to see if the fruit outlives the tannins to become more pleasant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 1h. Dark red, slim yellow rim, 6. Firm blackcurrant nose, sun ripe notes and sweet oak behind. Harmonious palate, fine tannin, blackcurrant fruity finish. Drink now - 2020. Very european for an over seas wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark, youthful color without bricking. Ripe and dense with fig fruit prominent. Nose and palate are nice but the finish was off-putting, as if someone put out a menthol cigarette in the glass. I like menthol and tobacco notes in wine, but something here was amiss. Not scored.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Full body, deep cherry red color, aromatic, ripe red fruits, black currant and spicy aroma, forest berries, spices and chocolate on the palate, ripe fruit on finish, dark chocolate on very long finish, bold, still fresh, juicy, completely integrated tannins, slightly and very nice acidity, well balanced, complex and elegant, food friendly. Well associated with goulash. Serve 18º - 20º. Open at least one hour beforehand. At peak now and will in same condition next four, five years. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: There is some ripeness to the fruit with tones of dark red fruits, black fruits, licorice, oak, leather, some loamy tones, and pencil lead notes. There is good complexity to this, but it is lacking some depth.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with good supporting tannins and medium+ acidity. There are riper tones of dark red fruits, licorice, oak, leather, loam, and pencil lead tones.
Overall: This was showing riper than what I normally drink these days. Still, there was good balance to it and it was showing very well right now, but with plenty of structure to age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened, entered the forest- dense, black earth- a bit of barn. Then layered, with notes of fruit and asphalt. Decanted 2 hours- better & better. never flagged. Color dark, and cloudy- not yet orange tinged. A great pleasure. Much better now than the last tasted two years ago.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
- Aromas of blackberry, black currant, prune and bell pepper. It's balanced with a medium/full body. Juicy texture with a long finish - Started with high acid, but became perfectly balanced after 1/2 hour
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black currant and blueberries. Elegant in style. Did not decant and do not believe it needed to be....except for some sediment. This was the 10th bottle of a full case. Had put it in the drink now part of my wine room because the pro reviewers project the last drink year as 2013. However, the wine seems now at a drinking peak and likely has at least a couple of more years left. This is a very, very, good wine.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fruity nose, blackcurrants and earth, then a tiny touch of funk. Good, fruity attack, balanced, med. to full body, silky. Black cherries on the palate, dark fruit, ripe tannins. Very long, just a touch spicy, black fruit aftertaste ending again on a funky note.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened this magnum for a good 2 hours decant and it opened up. Good structure with cassis and dark fruit with cedar and forest floor lying just underneath. Finish was long with dusty tannins and hints of spicebox. Overall a wonderful wine - 95% cab sauv/5% cab franc. This wine seems in its peak right now but that window could go for another 2-3 years in cellar perhaps.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slow ox'd for 6 hours. Dark violet colour. Big dark fruit nose, hint of cedar. Dark fruit and cassis on the palate hints of iron and a smokey/meaty quality to the finish. Tannins are resolved. Thick polished mouthfeel. A bit brash and not particularly elegant. Well made wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Many peeps will love this one. It's very good, but maybe not what I wanted this evening. Very toasty, rustic nose. Lots of dark fruit. Full of aromatics. Visually, the wine is impenetrable. Extremely dark and quite angry! Tannins are solid and still standing tall. Lots of texture on the palette, and has some sweetness. Dark plums and cherries dominate. I recognize this as a strong effort, just not my ideal choice tonight.
:0)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs; 3/19/2013-3/20/2013 (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): The wine looks Purple colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Black currant (cassis), Blackberry, Cherry, Cedar, and Lead Pencil. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Polished texture. The wine finishes Long. Alvaro's wine. We failed to identify its Chilean origins.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
30 minute decant before it was consumed with a ribeye and onion rings. Could've used some more decanting than I gave it. Color was slighly bricking dark violet. Very intriguiging nose with notes of cassis, iron, beef and a pleasant mineral-earthiness. In the mouth, drinks younger than it would appear from its color and age, has noticeable structure. Very tasty!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
More new world than others have described. Eucalyptus on the nose with taste of dark chocolate, earth, and a bit vegetal (in a good way). Black cherry, blackberry and blueberry and a 30+ second finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark purple. Nose of dust, vanilla, blackberry, and menthol. Ripe medium palate of blackberry, cedar, vanilla, graphite, and minerals. Excellent length. Pleasant acidity. Sweet tannins. Good balance. Don Melchor is always a nice synthesis of new and old world styles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It's ready! The tannins have mellowed significantly and the fruit is round and pleasant. Nice nose of coffee, herbs, beef, and cassis. Big cassis fruit and coffee flavor. The finish is gripping, dense, and chewy, but approachable. I thought this needed more time three years ago. More time=3 years I guess...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark cranberry, tinges of violet, quite light at the rim. This was reminiscent of a bottle tasted several years ago, but with greater depth. Loads of roasted coffee and a little rubber and barnyard on the nose, with more chewy coffee, chocolate, and grapey fruit on the palate. The hot alcohol builds though the finish. A few more years may help integrate the substantial tannins, but the heat may grow more obtrusive as well. If you don't mind the tannins, this is quite pleasant now, for its complexity and interesting profile. From A's cellar, at his house.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine is now showing it's stuff. Very special cab. Layers of complexity...coffee,lead pencil,toast and much more. Tannins are perfect and the finish long and graceful. Maybe this should be 95 or 96?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slow ox for 1 hour. Huge crowd pleaser and much better than I expected. Quite nuanced, less "big" than I expected. Seems totally ready to go but certainly not near over the hill. Lots of coffee, fig skin, blackberry (like every one else has mentioned.).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slow-O 1 hour. My notes are consistent with WDK's. This was good, but not great. I'm not sure it was worth the $45 I paid years ago, but given that my friends couldn't stop talking about it, maybe it was. The CT notes suggested this was ready to go and not likely to get better - I second that opinion, it's time to drink up. I have also adjusted the drinking window to 2014-15. Packed with cassis, coffee grounds, mocha and sweet briary fruits, this was good but a few rungs below great. 14,5% abv, B+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A big dark cab showing obvious new world profile. Nose of currant and plum, sweet fruit and mineral with a hint of evergreen on the palate. Thick on the finish with power rather than elegance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rich, delicious full-bodied black cherry fruit with cassis, cedar, coffee, and earth flavors, excellent structure, very tight, short finish, reminds me of the Merus style but not as opulent, deep, or sweet-tasting fruit, need airing
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark red/purple. Very nice developed black fruit and earth nose, black currants, plums and a hint of coffee. Not green or ripe but very nicely balanced. More developed then bottle drank 6 months ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not as good as the 2005. Dark garnet in color. The nose is much shyer compared to the 2005, and the fruits are more red than black, deviating from the Chilean blackberry/dark fig stereotype, which is not a bad thing in the first place. Some cedar and tertiary undergrowth aromatics are also present, intensifying the wine's old world orientation. On the palate however, new world sweetness is there. Tannins are ultra-soft and overall balance is very good. Long aftertaste. Ready to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had it for lunch,with ribs and potatoes,decanted and kept checking back every 15 minutes,to figure out that you must let it breathe for at least one hour,before giving it a try.Rreally good,I believe that, in a bilnd tasting,I wouldn´t be able to tell it was a chilean wine,as it seemed very much bordeaux like....It's a food wine,so much better with beef than by itself.Left a little bit for dinner,not the same wine,darker fruits not as pleasant as it was at first.If you have one of these,drink up and you won't regret it...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured, delicious but 4 years after our last bottle of this it's on the downside meaning it's become a touch flabby, extremely smooth, but lacking in structure to give this any hope of a long life, definitely something to be said for those who are advocating that these blockbuster Chilean cabs simply don't have the back bone for long life, that it matters is subjective of course, and it was afterall still quite delicious - Dark, full bodied with a nose of blackfruit, green leaf tobacco, cedar, plum and vanilla, very well integrated and silky smooth on the palate, a touch simple yet very tasty and long on the finish, drink up! (93 Points).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stored at 55 since purchase.Popped cork, poured one glass and waited an hour, then drank the bottle over 4 hours. Medium body, ample medium/dark fruits, hint of cab franc comes thru at the end w well integrated oak. A lovely wine, well balanced, nice fruit, not overdone or hot in any way. Hard to complain about as I think this would appeal to most palates. Did start to fade at 4 hours. Peak drinking now and dont think further btl age is warranted, will finish mine in the next 3 yrs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Maybe this was an off bottle or off vintage, but I was not happy with this wine. Popped and poured, it had the worst-of-both-worlds problem of being aggressively, raspily tannic but also underripe, with a nose dominated by green pepper. After a night of slow-oxing, the fruit turned raisiny and the finish got sour. I've had better experiences with other years of this wine--it's usually a reliable, well-made albeit anonymous and commodified modern red--but it's worth noting that this downside risk exists.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and poured. Dark red, yellow rim, 6. Intense nose, dark fruits, cassis, clean. Harmonious and polished on the palate, finely balanced tannins, again cassis, long finish. Drink now - 2017
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had this as a second bottle on thanksgiving. previous bottle was american cabernet that was somewhat ho-hum. this is not ho-hum. spicy and with some pretty chunky tannins, it probably needs a few more years to come into its own, but very good at this point. for what i paid, this was an excellent value and i'm glad to have another couple of vintages left in the cellar to compare to. palate is mostly dark fruit and a bit of chocolate. nice length overall.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark black/red. Big nose, spicey red fruit, great concentration. Very rich slightly ripe flavours, cassis, oak and blackberry. A very dry tannic finish.
I really enjoyed this, it was at it's early drinking window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Birthday Week; 10/9/2011-10/16/2011 (Galveston, TX): Part of Birthday Week. Popped and poured. Faint nose, cassis, cedar, mint, mocha. On the palate it was thin with black fruits, mint, sour cherry. Finish seemed a little clipped. As the night went on, if fleshed out very nicely to become more consistent with previous notes. Still, not as good as previous bottles, maybe in a bit of a dumb phase?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bright purple on color. Tons of oak, with hints of pencil shaving on the nose. Medium-full body with well integrated tannins on elevated acidity. Repeat of nose in the mouth on a moderate finish. sound.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted two hours. Youthful in glass. Nose of typical Don Melchor mulberry funk, with notes of cedar and menthol. Currants and mulberries on the palate, with coffee, mint, pencil lead and bay leaf. Still young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Don Melchor Night (Rick's & Cris'): Decanted for 3 hours, then slow-o'd in bottle for another 3+ before dinner began. Aromas of eucalyptus and mint, with loam and dark fruit. Has much more of a dark fruit profile than the 2005. Full-bodied, with flavors of cassis and black fruit, spice and herbs. Finishes very nicely. Solid, and nearing the start of its window. Drink 2013+.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Been almost a year so I decided to check in with this. Great nose of black currant, cedar, dark chocolate, espresso, mint. On the palate, black currant, blackberry mint, sour cherry, dark chocolate, and hints of tobacco. Finish was long and very dry with dusty tannins. Still has some upside as the tannins need to resolve. This will be the longest lived of the Don Melchors that I have tried. Drink with a decant or continue to hold.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark purple core with red bricking. Needs several hours to open up. Distinct mocha coffee core, with honey, berries, pencil shavings, bay leaf / bitter notes. Tightly curled tannins and a 30+ second finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
At first was closed, but opened up after one hour. Nice cab, dark fruits, cocoa on the nose. Very nice on the pallete with very smooth tannin structure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit more heat on the finish and more dry fruit oriented than the 2005....but good. Not going to get any better though...I'll knock my last bottle out by fall.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark and rich cab but this bottle had a bit of a funky aroma...not terrible but not as good as 4-5 previous bottles from this vintage. The rest of the bottles seem to have plenty of time left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Once in a while I'll get one of these Chilean wines that give off a gasoline/kerosene aroma. Seems no matter how long you decant, it just won't blow off. I've had this wine before and loved it. Unfortunately, this one had the smell.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pleasantly surprised by this. Was expecting something more bombastic but this shows a restrained almost Bordeaux like quality. Dark fruits and some chocolate for sure but has a nice green edge with some earth as well. Wood is noticeable but nicely integrated at this point. Still fresh with a good amount of tannin in reserve. The finish leaves you a bit wanting though. Clearly in its drinking window but will keep for at least 2-3 more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A few blind wines (my place): nose: elegant and well balanced nose filled with tones of leather, roasted herbs, tobacco, dark red cherries and some bits of dark red florals. Well balanced and very aromatic right now, but still holding back a bit
taste: medium bodied with medium/high acidity and well balanced tones of roasted herbs, tobacco, dark red cherries, red florals and some dark red fruits as well. Plush tannins still support this wine and it does still seem to feel a bit young
overall: this was nice when revealed. It had been a while since I've had this and it was a good check up on it's progression. This still seems on the younger side, but is a real lovely cab right now once it gets some air
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Good fruit up front. Much more well-rounded than the 2006, which was a disappointment to me. Pleasantly surprised at the muteness of the oak, which I was bracing for (it's there, but not overdone by any stretch of the imagination). Tobacco, figs and a bit of dark chocolate on the finish. Probably close to peaking right now, as far as I can tell, although I wouldn't hesitate to wait a bit longer based on other experiences with slightly older DM.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
really nice. rich and concentrated, delicious, even flamboyant at times, but also with old world complexity and character. cassis, blackberry, cocoa, graphite, smoke, cedar, tobacco. nice earthy quality, even some barnyard funk. very well balanced. long finish. ripe tannins are mellowing and integrating well. alcohol level seems just right. not too hot. very pleasantly surprised.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
--- COLOR: Opaque garnet w/med garnet rim NOTE: Raspberry/blackberry liqueur nose, shaved dark chocolate, crushed walnut shells. No heat. mouth is just lovely & rich with sweet boysenberry and dried strawberry/cranberry & dark chocolate. Almost black tea tannins, superfine. No heat anywhere. Finish is 30+ seconds of blackberry liqueur, ash, dark chocolate. This is more intriguing than the 05 and gets the nod.
DECANT: 2 hours GLASS USED: Bordeaux TASTE: 9.3 COST: 37 VALUE: 8.8 PREVIOUSLY TASTED: n/a TRY AGAIN: n/a PAIRING: n/a Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net ---
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I thought this quite old world in its approach. Aromas and flavors of red fruit, lentil soup and subtle expresso. The palate has good medium weight but there's a bit of green on the finish which I found slightly distracting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decant 30 mins. - A bit green a first, but opened up nicely; Purple color with currant, oak & a bit of spice - tannins have mellowed; very drinkable now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is ripe and sweet with loads of charcoal, ash, tobacco and olive on this nose and palate. Will continue to improve over the next decade or so, but I see no sense in sitting on these.
Drink now and over the next five years. 91 -JS
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My second bottle of my six pack. Popped and poured. Deep dark ruby red almost opaque. Heavy nose of oak, blackcurrant, blackberries, vanilla with a bit of graphite and mint. Full body with a luscious mouth feel with still gripping tannins and a bit of heat in the mouth. There is a good balance of dark fruits and oak in the mouth but the secondary characteristics have yet developed. Hold for another few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Have had lots of this before and usually very consistently excellent. Bottle perfectly stored at 57 degrees for a couple years....maybe corked. Stink blew off after overnight decant, but still tasted....odd. Revealed dense black cherries but still not what I remember. Historically, one of my Chilean favs, but this one not so hot. Will have to revisit with a new bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for several hours, dark sweet fruit, tabacoo, and a smokey note. A real mouthful, that just coats every inch and a long finish that makes you want to go back for more. I still think this wine will benefit form additional time in the bottle. Hope I can wait 3 more years before I open another.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wonderfully balanced full bodied Cab, and drinking great right now. red fruit, tar and cassis on the nose. I decanted for an hour and the wine was a little green at first but quickly resolved itself. red current, tar and vanilla with smooth tannins. Long finish. My expectations were not high after reading some of the other notes but I found this to be one of the best wines I've had this year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Starting to come around. Decanted for one hour. Nose of espresso, mint, cedar, black currant, mocha. On the palate, black currant, blackberry, menthol, tobacco, sour cherry, vanilla. Dry finish with smooth dusty tannins. Continued to improve throughout the night. Drink or hold. Good value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a great drinking cab, nothing like the flat, herbal, boring cabs you typically find from Chile and Argentina. Great balance of dark fruits gifing off highlights of licorice, tar and chocolate. Smooth, ripe tannins are sweet and not overly dry. Nice finish leaves you wanting for the next sip ... it's one of those wines that just "disappears" and you wonder how it went so quickly. Looking forward to moving to the 2005's next year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A nice cab, although needs lots of air. At first, it's dominated by a strong pine resin flavor, which was mostly gone by day 2. Inky red, full body, rich fruit. Not spectacular, but good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great hybrid of old and new world nose and dark fruit palate. Not a finesse drink. One of my favorites with a steak. Decent finish. Great structure. Drinking well now but a food wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark berry on the nose opened well after a two hour decant. Subdued flavors of berry, coffee, and cocoa. Well integrated and refined tannins, not an overpowering wine....very refined and very un-California like
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Seems more together than a year ago. Good strong cab core, if maybe a bit medicinal but smoother than I remembered. The rest can wait another year to try again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Boerne Wine Club - Cab/Chardonnay (Scenic Loop Cafe, San Antonio, TX): I continue to somewhat disappointed with this vintage. The nose has a very strong vegetal eucalyptus nose. Spicy palate, strong acidity with plenty of red fruit (cassis, currants) and lengthy finish of mocha, tar, and toast-- typical flavor profile of the Chilean cabs. Good, but the green character distracts. I certainly prefer the '03. Seemed a little more shut down than my last bottle 2 years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tannins were a little rough. Although definitely did open up with a little time in the air. A few more years in the cellar and there is definitely the structure here to get into the low 90's, but then again I could use a couple of years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I grabed this at the store for a special for my wife and I while traveling. I have one at home, and said...why not eventhough it was a little expensive.
I opened and poured this into a pitcher (no decanter) about one hour before drinking. The nose was dark fruit, leather and all cabernet. The fruit was more pronounced in the middle, with cocoa and chocolate with smooth tannis. This was very enjoyable and stood up for at least 5 hours, but not worth the $65.00 I paid for this bottle.
I guess I will let the bottle at home sit for a couple more years.
My wife pegged this at $45'ish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is a little beastly right now. Cassis, leather, black olive, and oregano are present on the nose. The taste is mega-rich with tons of chocolate, cassis, and mouth-coating inky dark fruits. The finish is long and inspiring, yet tannic. The tannins aren't over-the-top, yet they're still grippy. I strongly feel that this wine needs to age for another 5 years minimum, and probably needs 10. I'll let my other 5 bottles sit for a while. The 92 is based on 5 years from now. In 10 years, it may reach 94-95. Right now it's more of an 89-90.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
What a big in your face Chilean cab. Heavy flavors on a pnp. The next night it all calmed down and was actually beter. I'm going to give the others plenty of sleep or a long decant. Enjoy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a nice cab., but just misses being awesome for me. Good fruit, but without some of the acidity and balance I crave. Dark cherry and dark chocolate on the palate. Drink over the next 5 years easy. This will probably improve, it it starts to show some secondary flavors that would be nice...AMM
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Excellent wine. Color was dark and earthy. The wine is still quite young with plenty of tanins. Should be at its peak in another 5-7 years. Fantastic leather and earthy taste for such a young wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is what a red wine, and particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, is all about. Incredibly sublime with abundant flavors. Very smooth for such a big complex wine. Aromas just leap from the glass and overwhelm the nose. Flavors include dark fruit, cherries, chocolate, with a little oak and spice at the tail end of a nice long finish. Silky tannins are still there but have aged quite well. I highly recommend this wine, which I got for a steal at Costco for around $40.00 at the time. I can't wait to drink the 2005 vintage, which is supposed to be even better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Initially at ~55degF: Very brambly with pencil shavings aromas. Some stems in the background. Initial acids is overtaken by a lush, rich texture in the mouth. Lots of tannins coat the teeth. Some juiciness/acidity returns on the medium-long finish with some slight bitterness. After ~20min in the glass, some powdery vanilla and cherry cola aromas emerge. Alcohol level (warmth and bitterness) is a little off putting on the finish. Sadly this currently performs on par with a $18-20 bottle of Casa Lapostolle cuvee Alexandre or Montes Alpha Cabernet. Even with more bottle age, I'm not sure if the fruit, alcohol and tannins will find a happy balance. EDIT: The day after, the wine tastes a little cleaner with some of the brambly aromas hidden (or gone) and the acids & tannins seemingly more in balance. Alcohol level still asserts itself on the nose and finish. If one were to enjoy this wine now, decant an hour ahead of time and keep the decanter in a cool ~60F location.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Getting better! Have been drinking through a case of this over the past two years and it continues to improve. The first bottle was shared after rehearsal dinner and was one of the favorites of the night. I do not have much experience with aged wine but this may be hitting a peak. On opening still a youthful color and aromatic nose with leather and earth notes which gave way to dark fruits 40 mins later. Changed again to peppery, vegetal and a strong green pepper notes. About half an hour later came back to the fruit elements. This had a really nice medium long, smooth finish. Drank on its own before dinner and was a fun bottle to experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The Blind Drunks monthly tasting (Joe P's): Deep color. Opened with a sour citrus note, which dissipated fairly quickly. Following that were aromas of mocha, dark fruit, loam and plum. Nicely balanced, with flavors of plum, coffee, herbs and black fruit. There's a slightly sweet edge to the tannins. Long, balanced finish. 92-93 pts.
Decanted for an hour, allowed to breathe in bottle for another seven+ before the tasting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decided to check in twith this wine as it has been two years. Decanted for three hours. Still very tight on a nose of mocha, mint, cedar, red and black currant. On the palate, black currant, blackberry, sour cherry, menthol, tobacco. Finish was dry with dusty tannins. This got better as the night went on. Still some upside here, will have a long life. Hold. Great value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I was very excited to try this baby as a cap to my b-day weekend. I had my brother-in-law pop this for me as I brought it to his house earlier. I walked up just as he was opening it and took a look at the cork. Wine completely leaked all the way through to the top. Heat damaged, oxidized, bleh. So I decided to drink it in the name of research. I didn't tell anyone (other than my wife) that it was damaged, but it was obvious. This was dead from the get-go. Damn.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
True Garnet with a hint of purple – very little bleeding. Smokey, bright fruited nose (almost confectionary). Barrel char is easily apparent. Staining attack: fruit driven with a bit of coffee mixed in. There is a roundness to the wine that almost completely covers a very tannic core. I would say that full maturity is 10 years away. Solid juice with a new world personality and old world structure. Wish I had another bottle to try in 2020. (89+)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank over a span of 2 nights. All I have to say was that this was DAMN good!! Everything you'd want and expect from a high priced cali cab. So why don't I buy more of these? Anyways, loved it!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lost my notes and cannot really remember, which means it was not overly memorable. What a do recall was a decent, easy to drink cab. Not the greatest vintage of this, I like the years on both ends better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromatically - reminiscent of a crainza tempranillo from rioja with loads of uber ripe jammy fruit. Super sweet palate with loads of slightly spiced black jam fruit. Super smooth tannin profile and medium +density. Would not lay it down for greater than 4 years for my palate. Simple and hedonistic
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
One of the best vintages of Don Melchor I have ever tasted. An expression of Cabernet Sauvignon of great depth, complimented by 6% of highly aromatic Cabernet Franc, make this wine a beautiful, velvety experience with créme de cassis, black pepper, dark fruit, and a touch of spices. Really very good. Drink now and in the next 10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
drank both Don Melchor and it's $20 brother(Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha - 2006 ) - very surprised at how close both tasted... The Don Melchor has rounder softer tannins but given it is 3 times the price is a poorer QPR as one usually finds.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark purple.. decanted for about 30 minutes. Served slightly warmer than I would have liked. Definitely cab from Chile.. nose of blackberry, vanilla, and lots of oak. Not as aromatic as the 2005, nor is it as good on the palate. still not a bad wine. Enjoyed over an hour, and nose opened up as time went on. Seems like it would be better with a couple of more hours. 91pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
-- decanted for two hours before tasting -- -- tasted non-blind over 1 hour -- -- 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc --
NOSE: Expressive bouquet ofunderbrush and smoke with an element of rubber; some oak, but not overbearing; deep red fruits hiding in the shadows of this earthy bouquet.
BODY: garnet color of great depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: like its bouquet, this is very earthy on the palate: smoke, underbrush and leather; loganberry fruit and a pleasing touch of funk; healthy tannic grip; this wine has gone almost nowhere since the last bottle I had about 8 months ago. Drinks great now, but will certainly improve with time. Will I be able to keep my hands off my other couple bottles?? I really wish I would have loaded-up big-time on this wine.
B: 50, 5, 13, 16, 8 = 92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank with Delmonicos on the grill - Decanted for 45 mins. Dark ruby color; Tannins have definitely mellowed. Opened up nicely - coffee & cocoa. Was not as BIG as I was hoping.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
COLOR - deep red. NOSE - very serious, with much less of the tar and black fruit smells typical of a Chilean cabs from CyT. TASTE - very subtle red fruits, silky smooth, with some depth and a few tannins; this is drinking great now, and may not age as long as others from this vineyard. RATING - 94.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a VERY interesting wine. Strong dark nose without being sweet, maybe some florals in the background. If you like Amarone, you will love this Cab. Port like in the same way. Coats your mouth like velvet. It must have 15-20% other varietals??? Dark plums, figs, prunes, galore. Pretty one dimentional fruit flavors. Nice tannins that softened with food (cheese). Drink this with big ribeye steaks. This is the type of wine you should overpay for at a steakhouse. I'm looking for more acidity and secondary flavors than this offers, but still very good. AMM
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
All three of my bottles of this wine were pretty much exactly the same and I am completely convinced, based on other vintages of this wine that I have had, that all three of them were somehow flawed. They were not corked but were certainly either heat damaged or oxidized.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
OPen decant, wonderful last bottle about a year ago and the year did a nice mellowing to the chewy tanins but stil plenty left this is a complex wine that never disapoints great fruit structure and smoth finish... 2/5/2008 rated 92 points: Drank on the weekend with friends, dark deep red thick color, chewey tight tanins that hide the rich complex fruit, cherry, currant, berry, chocolate, hints of tobacco, oak, and a long finish. My friends let open, even better decant awhile
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tomei no Alex Ball. Ainda fechado com pouca complexidade aromática. Elegante e de corpo médio, bem diferente do 2003 que tomei tempos atrás. Não me pareceu um grande vinho no primeiro contato. Deixarei envelhecer pra ganhar complexidade, apesar de já pronto pro copo.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened and decanted. Clearly this is a very young and closed up wine at this point in time. Color is a nice deep red, nose is of currant, dark cherry, and even some vanilla. Taste is initially somewhat closed, but with a long, smooth finish. Kept this bottle open for 2 days: the second day was much more accessible. The bottle exhibited mint, cherry, vanilla on the nose. Taste was very well balanced with good acidity and fruit, great hangtime on the finish which revealed layers and textures. Will definitely be getting more of this to see where it goes in 2-3 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
What initially seemed somewhat insipid and angular, massively transformed with air. Within a couple of hours, this wine expresses itself as a refined and richly complex effort. A restrained perfume of smoke and cassis accompany a mouthful of balanced black fruit. The moderate finish exhibits distinguishing powdery tannin. Very enjoyable, and an impressive approximation of Bordeaux, however given the price escalation of recent vintages, the better value is likely in Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wineflock - Cabernets from Anywhere (Ken's): Group #10, My #10 - Another really disappointing showing for this wine - I wonder why this hasn't lived up to its showing at WS since then?? Opaque deep red color. Awkward/angular spicy red fruit and coffee - a bit odd. Odd black fruit with an angular acidic quality and some coffee on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
An expressive and well structure Chilean made in the Bordeaux style. There are rich thick tannins that hide beautiful nuances of cassis and dark fruit. I feel as if this wine has closed down a bit. As the tannins wane with time this should prove to be an elegant and supple wine, one that is built to age for many years. If your inventory is limited to a couple of bottles I would not touch for another 4 to 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a bit disappointing given my first taste some time back. Still incredibly tannic and needed a 6-7 hour decant to settle down. On night on, this was nice, but had that tinge of cherry nyquil going on in the finish. I can't stand that in wine! Otherwise, this was a lackluster wine when compared to the 2001 which I adore and even a step below the 2003 which was good. Hopefully the 2005 will being back the best of this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
-- popped and decanted -- -- tasted non-blind over 2 hours --
-- 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc --
NOSE: initially this wine featured expressive aromas of chocolate, sweet leather and dusty blackberries; a strong vegetal streak is there too; with additional air time the bouquet opened to reveal hints of coffee, anise, and raspberry jam. This got more and more appealing the longer the bottle was open.
BODY: dark garnet color of great depth; fine particulate matter is suspended in the wine; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: initially, this wine's flavor profile mirrored it's bouqet, exhibiting sweet leather, bramble, and a hint of funk. This wine seemed to turn a corner and really blossom after being decanted for 45-60 min.: the palate fleshed out as pleasing notes of woodsy spice (cigar wrapper) came forward; this is well-balanced with a medium-length finish. There is a hole at the rear mid-palate, but I would expect this to fill-in with time. This bottle was increasingly intriguing from start to end, and its evolution in those two short hours suggests an interesting 15-20 years of life lie ahead.
B: 50, 5, 12, 16, 9 = 92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Purple brownish in color with green peppers on the nose. Very distinct bacon on the palate initially with very refined finish reflecting subtle tannins which lingers. Very nice bottle of wine with value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
150 min. decant @58C. The color of this wine is that of a squeezed fistful of ripe blackberries - dark and brooding. On the seductive nose I get raspberry, mocha-coffee, vegetable peppers, and loamy Chilean terrior; brooding, seductive and complex like the other Don Melchors I have experienced. On first sip, this is definitely in need of more time, either in the decanter, cellar, or both. The tannins dominate here, quickly invading the mid-palate and bringing on the lengthy finish sooner than I suspect a more mature version of this would. The finish is excellent, once you squeeze past the barrage of tannins, and I love the dark raspberry fruits that appear down the back middle of my palate at this phase. Up front, there is plenty of dark chocolate and coffee in the profile, so something like a mocha espresso shot. I think once the tannins of this wine have a chance to mellow out, the entry and mid-palate will show more fruit and more of the excellent complexities hiding in this monster wine. It's showing nice transitions now, but w/ aging this will pick up polish as it shears off some of its over-evident grittiness. There's red cassis on the final sip's nose/palate. 91-92 pts. w/ major upside potential.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My first Melchor, and it lived up to the hype. Decanted a half hour and consumed over the following 90 minutes. Copious amounts of coffee, mint, and plummy blackberry fruit, and some of that loamy soil thing that is so common in Chilean wines. This shows great concentration and a long, satisfying finish. Great big wine, but the tannins are surprisingly forgiving at this point. Only flaw here is the slightest hint of heat on the nose and finish, but that really is nitpicking. This is awesome stuff, and it'll probably reward future cellaring generously in the mid-term. 92+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rich and somewhat tannic. Needs substantial decanting and/or more bottle time. Somewhat out of balance right now, but lots of nice elements that may come back together with more time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It is what it is and stands at the top of its class. Good quality and all the elements are in play down the the latex-rubber thing I get from upper tier Chilean Cabs. It is a personal call whether you like those elements. Not normally my thing, but it did well w/ grilled bison and mushroom-chard saute.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fabulous Chilean Cab, really classy and elegant, not a bombastic example at all, nice big fruit with great grip without being over the top - Dark, almost black, well concentrated with notes of dark plum, chocolate, mocha, cedar and vanilla oak on the nose, excellent structure and complexity, yet quite approachable after a 3 hour decant, fabulously long finish (94 Points).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bue dans un party chez un pote. Très bon, assez élégant, avec un côté cerise, et graphite. Droit, loin de la lourdeur caricaturale de certains chiliens.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not the Don Melcor I have had before, but perhaps too early in its life. Reasonable fruit with a bit too much tannin (despite 2 hour decanting) and slight vegetal finish. Full bodied and overall acceptable but not what I was hoping for at a rising price point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I've always loved Concha Y Toro's Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon and have had great experiences with the previous 3 vintages. I picked up 3 bottles of the 2004 last summer and this was the first I have opened. Unfortunately this bottle showed definite signs of heat damage and oxidation. Hopefully the other two are still in good shape.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bummer! This is a Chilean wine that I have been wanting to try for some time now, but unfortunately I think this was heat damaged or something. It tasted mostly like chewing on branches and dried leaves. Not good even on day 2.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Smooth, well balanced, not a fruit bomb. Had side by side with highly rated California cabs and this was hands down the winner. I have had twice and both times it was great. It has run up in price, but compared Cali cabs still a bargain.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
South American Wines (Rios de Sudamerica): Tight nose gives up black currant and sweet herbs with coaxing. Palate has chocolaty currant fruit, mint and herbs. Gritty tannins on the mid-palate clamp down the fruit and shorten the overall length. Good stuffing, needs time. 92+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped & poured at restaurant, no detailed notes. Deep dark Color. Very fruit forward, smooth on the palate, finish lingered reasonably well, still very young. Extremely enjoyable!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a great wine! Typically Chilean nose of damp earth and eucalyptus, this is deep, concentrated and long. The tannin is substantial, but very fine grained. Probably the best young Don Melchor I have tasted.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Meaty, Asian curry, charred oak, currant and cherry liqueur nose. Big palate with warming alcohol and some graphite and earth amongst the ripe fruit flavours; brown sugar and toasty oak finish. 4.5/5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium dark in color with mild aromas of earth, pencil, leather, and dark berryfruit. Medium full nectar with squeaky clean tannins. Earth, blackfruit, cedar, and toasted oak marry well on a medium finish. Drink or hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice. It absolutely needs 2 hours to breath. At first it was hitting me in a bad way. 2 hours later it was ready. It was a different Cab taste then a Cali cab, but a wonderful change.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I've opened it, I've tasted it, my gums escaped from my mouth. Tannins needed decanting. So I've decanted Don Melchor for two and a half hours. After that BINGO! Tannins softened, and creamy, velvety structure begin to roll slowly down my tongue. The taste of chocolate, the nose of plum kicked in. It felt good. So far 95 points. But than after an hour the beauty kind of escaped from the wine. Don Melchor became ordinary Chile Cab Sav with less than 90 points. Mea Culpa I guess. I should have had the whole bottle in the first hour while the poetry was still in the glass. Anyway, drink it!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
B:Decent wine, even though the first few sips were very harsh. Settled down and was ok, but nothhing exceptional. L's reaction to the first taste was that it was appallingly bad. Maybe we drank it when it was too young. Wait a couple of years (e.g., until 2010) before drinking the next couple of bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened 2 bottles and was surprised at how open and ready these were. The 03 and 01 have much more of a tannic backbone and may some day be better but today these are drinking very well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Big, thick, chewy, great balance, strong tannins even after decanting for hours. Great wine on it's own, could sip all day. Has a lot of time to cellar also.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank on the weekend with friends, dark deep red thick color, chewey tight tanins that hide the rich complex fruit, cherry, currant, berry, chocolate, hints of tobacco, oak, and a long finish. My friends let open, even better decant awhile, hold a few more years for maximum enjoyment. Another great wine from Chile.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really didn't show well till day 2. Decanted ~2hrs on day 1, light nose of sweet black cherry, dense well structed palate, but very tight. Medium length finish, but complex. In the 90-92 range on Day 1. Day 2 after sitting overnight in the decanter in the fridge had a much more open and forward nose, still mostly black cherry, but adds some tobacco sweetness and a hint of mint. Palate is smoother and less drying, but still well structured with dark fruit, coffee, chocolate and earth notes. Finish is medium to long, complex and delicate. Has more finesse than my average bottle, but still young. Probably won't touch my other 2 bottles for another 3yrs or so.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
In the glass, slightly translucent purples and crimsons. Medium viscosity. Nice glass hang. On the nose, subtle oak, ripe blackfruits. On the palate, integrated, fruit, acidity and tannins hum. Silky smooth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
taste: great earth driven bordeaux style mouth. Pencil shavings, earth, dark cherry, cranberry, and some saddle leather and tobacco
overall: this is great and still needs time to mature. Gorgeous earth driven cabernet with big broad flavors and leaves a very long and excellent finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/08 Dark purple - full-bodied - blackcherry nose - intense and concentrated attack with dark chocolate coffee finish - big and bold - young but very approachable now. 93 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A big wine showing alot of Black fruit and green olive. Nose has a vegetal and petrol side that dissipates over time. This should wait five more years and could last another ten.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark, thick, rich ruby/black color. Wonderful nose of warm wood, grape, coffee, plus a hint of herbaceousness and yeast. Much lighter on the palate than the color and nose would suggest. Some wood and fruit, notable alcohol, mild tannins. Short, chalky, stemmy finish. A disappointing bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Earthy, smokey, great finish, you want to curl up next to a fire and enjoy. This is a great wine. I was taken by all the great ratings and I didn't want that to sway me but this is really good. Tasted with 2 Cali cabs Sequoia and Mt Vedeer. A great winter pal for my Laphroaig.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine just keeps impressing me to no end. EVERYONE at the table thought it was something special. The smoke and gamey notes on top of the fruit is the same with every bottle we drink.
Just beautiful!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Serious, smoky, tarry, earthy, meaty, briary, minty nose, that initially showed no fruit notes at all underneath all that, but later the smoky cloud parted to show a nice pure currant notes with a little cherry. In the mouth, it's just as dense and complex, with fig and tobacco, and more cabernet fruit. This was better and more distinctive than I expected. I loved it. Best bottle of Don Melchor I've had (with my experience going back five vintages now).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wineflock - Wow wines (Ken's): Deep black red color. Hughe towering wet socks coffee nose with huge black alcohol fruit notes. Big hot black fruit on the palate. A bit clumsy. Not as good as I remember the last bottle I tried.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind tasting of 'Wow' wines at Ken's (Northbrook, IL): Found this nearly undrinkable - huge, clumsy and over the top with lots of caramel and oak dominating everything else. Most around the table (with more experience with this wine and prior vintages than I have) felt this was an off bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I'm good with everyone's rating and the positive descriptions here, outstanding, no doubt this needs sleep, spectacular nose, tannic but not bitter, I'm in the well balanced camp on this one. WA's 2032 might be a stretch, and will have to go through my feeding tube at that point (and my children are so commanded), but more likely will not be left in my cellar. I'm thinking that 10 years will be beautiful, so buy a case and drink one a year!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Needs alot more time. Decented for two hours and it really needs it. Inital tase was very tight and closed. Opened up over time. Hints of smoke and fruit, with hints of anise and berries on the palate. Nice finish as well. It a few years this will be fantastic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had the bottle in a restaurant in Santiago (the wine costs USD 80 in Chile and is completely sold out) with a nice steak, young, but very good, will be even better in five years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had from standard bottle this time and was a little tighter. Big mineral nose but the edges were slightly more austere than from magnum. Still a quality bottle at a good price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Don Melchor vertical 1995-2004 (Monterrey, Mexico): Very dark purple. Purest fruit of all wines tasted. Ripe, exotic and attractive minty nose. Full bodied, tannic and a bit disjointed, but hinting of a great future.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had from magnum. Typical chilean nose with some minerals and red fruits. More approachable than the 03. Probably not as age worthy but very nice now. Velvety midpalate not over ripe with a strong lingering finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Big mamba jamba! Opened nearly 2 hours prior to tasting. The color was deep and fantastic, immediately agreed with the bull blood reference. This young one will be a powerhouse one day, but now its full of tobacco and espresso notes that just coat your mouth upon finish. I didnt find it as overly tannic as I was expecting, but they are quite prevalent. This was a treat indeed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tighter and more densely structured that other vintages at this age. Mocha, mint, cigar box,black currant on the nose. Palate was full of black fruit, menthol, and tobacco. Dusty tannins on the finish were strong but not overwhelming. Oustanding wine, 92 now, great upside on this one. Will definitely be better than the 00, and 01, time will tell if it passes the superb 03.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hard to assess because it's so tight. It has that unmistakeable Chile garrigue, and I think there's a lot of fruit in there but right now there is a huge wall of tannin and a good share of acidity, making this one difficult to drink, even on the second night. If/when this mellows it might have potential to gain a few points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very young, very chewy, very good. Deep red color and the nose is a strong burst of dark fruits. HOT with heavy tannins right now but somehow it still manages to work great with coffee, herb, cherry and oak tones to carry it along. Bought four of these, so I hope i have the patience to wait them out because this one seems like it's about four years away from being a true powerhouse.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rolha perigosamente manchada; por menos de 2mm o líquido não vazou. Decantado por 2h. NM. Aromas intensos e profundos, baunilha, pimentão verde, tabaco, café, frutos negros e um traço de eucalipto só pra não negar as origens. Taninos finos, numerosos mas macios, ótima acidez, notas de cassis, pimenta e caixa de charutos. Elegante, equilibrado e longo, realmente mostra-se acessível porém com bom potencial para evoluir. Melhor Melchor de todos os tempos? 93-94+pts. E.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had at home with 2 inch thick USDA prime NY strip.
What a great Don Melchor this is. Jay Miller is right on with his review. Typical dark ruby color that resembles bull blood. The nose offers very obvious dark fruits, but is missing the telltale Don Melchor note of wet loam and mint. What makes this wine great is definitely the palate, not the nose. Full bodied, voluptuously textured, thick and full of flavor, this wine has medium to high tannin but it is so ripe and pleasant that it becomes an asset rather than a flaw. The best Don Melchor I have ever had, and I have tasted them all except for 1991 & 1992.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very tannic, but it has great potential. Dark fruits and mocha. This tasting note from memory. Decanted 5 hours and the wine strated to open up at the end. Put a glass back in the bottle and corked for the next day and it was still quite tannic. I believe this needs more time and will be prolilfic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow, this is a monster!! The nose is giving concentrated, sweet blueberry. Some oak and heat also coming through on the nose. Full attack on the palate of dark currant, plum and black cherry, along with some toasty oak, and again some heat. This wine is extremely tannic with a long dry finish. This wine should be put down and forgotten for at least 10 years. I’m going 90 points for its overall structure and power. It will be interesting to see how this wine evolves once the heat and tannins settle down.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 6 hours at cellar temp, dark fruit, tobacco and a hint of greeness on the nose (a good greeness), it all combined into a fresh paint aroma (again in a good way). Palate was rich and full, dark fruits coming though. I don't think I got the best look at the palate due to the rich smoky ribs we were eating, but they pair well, even with the bit of spice they had. I think I'm going to need to try another on it's own, before I decide to buy some more, but I think this is going to be a great wine in a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened and poured right into the decanter, filling the room with aromas of mocha, herbs and dark fruit. About two hours later the first glasses were poured. Inky purple color, with notes of pepper, plum, blackberry and mint along with a faint meaty note. Flavors of espresso, mint and blackberry, with firm but fine-grained tannins. Best young Melchor I've tasted, and worth opening one now before it begins to shut down.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Soy sauce, pepper, expresso dark fruits. Fine tannins with cranberry and slight anise on the finish. Tasted these wines a number of time from 2001-04 and they are all completely different. Hope the price does not go up, good stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine was poured into a decanter and drunk over a couple hours.
The color was a very dark purple red. It had an aroma of dirty socks, with a little extra funk I couldn't describe. That particular "funk" aroma faded after pouring into a wine glass. After breathing for several minutes, The bouquet showed Dark cherrys, mocha, and some floral characteristics on the nose.
The very first glass showed lots of up front fruits on the palate. Cherry, dark berries, current, black pepper. Being such a young wine, it was tight, and a bit acidic. Medium body, medium finish. The tannin structure will make this wine last for years to come. After the bottle was allowed to decant for an hour or so, the tannins soften up a lot. It showed improved balance with a longer finish.
Quite a delicious wine and still very young. I'll rate this wine 91-92 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very young but lots of fruit a little funky when first opened but it went away after 20-30minutes, the tannins are showing but softly. This will be great after 2-3 years of aging. Love this stuff. I am sure the rating will rise down the road.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Green and young, drank a huge fruit bomb prior so i was probably a little biased towards the natural green elements that chile brings to the table. They seemed to dominate, and it was probably my palate.I felt this wine was very young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really opened up after decanting. Deep, opaque purple with a small clear hue. Nose of blackberry, cherry and notes of mint. Big, refreshing red and black berries on the palate, with a burst of pepper. Very impressively balanced - this $45 wine seems to bridge the gap between pricey, balanced California cabs and their <$20 QPR impostors full of vanilla and oak. Beautiful, elegant finish lasts for a really really long time. Very smooth, mildly drying, nicely integrated tannins. This wine is very approachable now if decanting for >2 hours is a viable option, and cellarable for years to come. I am very impressed and highly recommend this wine.
40+5+5+18+18+9=95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
although this is young, i believe it will fully rate a classic in due time. clean, precisely crafted, complex, full of ripe tannins, and beautifully balanced. one of the best of the best cabs you can get at this price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Much more aproachable than the 03 or 01 at this stage. Pleasant but not as rich and structured. Continued to open up over a 4 hour period. On the second night this is really good and way more open than the 01 or even the 03. For the money this is a great cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for an hour and then consumed over 5 hours. Could pick up tobacco and cedar with creme de mint as poured into the decanter. Color was so dark almost looked black. Competelely opaque. Blackberry and currant. Full bodied big and beautiful. Another outstanding Don Melchor. Not quite up to the '03 but still outstanding. I think I will pick up 6 more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Right out of the bottle, this was quite tannic and bitter. Closed up. After decanting for 3 hours, it wasn't much different. Some of the tannins settled, but this needs much more time in the bottle to develop. I do see great potential for this, and think it could reach a 95-96 in time. I won't open up another for at least 3-4 more years. As a side note, their lower priced cab is a great buy right now for $17 and very enjoyable. So on day two - this was better, but even after 2-3 more hours of decanting still needed more time. I change my opinion and upgrade from 3-4 to 4-5 more years to settle and integrate unless you wanted to decant for 10-12 hours. Will be simply awesome in a few more years but not ready at all now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decantado por 3 horas. Ruby escuro. Aromas não muito intensos mas sólidos de cassis, café, eucalipto e um toque de especiarias. Na boca austero, bem estruturado com boa fruta, ótima acidez e taninos finos. Frutos escuros, tostado e alcaçuz e um final médio a longo com amargor bem presente. Elegante, equillibrado e com certeza vai melhorar e evoluir bem na garrafa. 92+. Excelente.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
NM. Decantado por 3 horas. Mesmas impressões anteriores. Talvez pelo tempo de decantação e por ter sido bebido ao lado do Maximiano 03, os aromas de eucalipto ficaram menos evidentes, sobressaindo o equilíbrio, a boa acidez e o estilo mais elegante, beirando a austeridade -- embora não dê para considerá-lo um vinho austero. Tem potencial para evoluir e suportar bem o envelhecimento, mas parece ser de maturação rápida, sendo acessível desde já. 93+pts. Excelente.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
intense blackberry and cassis. Hint of asian spice and chocolate. Dark Ruby color. Mouth: asian spice and cassis coming through a lot. Nice long finish, still tasting it a good 30 seconds later
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decantado por 1h30min. Rubi escuro, límpido e brilhante. Aroma marcante de eucalípto, pimentão, cereja e pimenta do reino, com a elegância característica dos DM. Boa fruta (não sobremadura), tendendo para um vinho mais austero, acidez viva, com final médio a longo. Madeira presente, mas não agressiva, que dá ao vinho um amargor marcante. Estilo diferente do 2003, com menos fruta, menos doçura e muito mais elegante e pronto, embora seja inegavelmente um vinho na sua juventude. 93+pts. Excelente.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted from barrel during a visit to the winery. The '04 Don Melchor had been in new French oak barrels for about 6 months. It was black/purple in colour - fully opaque; pronounced sweet oak in the aromas, with intense blackberry fruit and was beginning to open up; round, rich on the palate; full bodied; intense blackberry fruit; the oak was quite strong; finished extremely long with plenty of fruit, but the tannins persisted, even though the texture was quite velvety. It will spend another 6 months in barrel, followed by 2 years in bottle prior to release. It contains about 3% Cabernet Franc from Maipo - about 14000 case production.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
3/25/2024 - EvoPeteMTL Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lots of mushrooms and tertiary notes at first that dissipated after a 30-min decant. Still very evolved with forest notes, but the fruit is still a bit present, and that typical greenness from Chile / Argentina. Few tannins left. Good wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2024 - DBenke wrote: 94 Points
So Bordeaux. Great nose. Great fruit. Drink up. Put it in a blind Bordeaux tasting and have some fun.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2023 - tsdv Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very good, straight forward traditional Cabernet. Should have kept it for when my palate was fresh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2023 - Tonythefish wrote:
Drank beautifully when paired with NY strips. Decanted for 2 hours. At beginning, nose of leather, some floral hints with some dark fruit. Then when drinking tannins are smooth and finish lasts 25 plus seconds
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2023 - Joelene wrote: 94 Points
Drinking wonderfully. Will maintain for several years, nearing peak. Great balance.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2022 - CRUSHER Likes this wine: 95 Points
wonderful cab, exceeded my expectations; blueberry, blackberry with soft tannins and loam.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2022 - Dealingsqft Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted but slow to open up. Great plumy body, smooth tannins more as we let it breathe. The finish is getting better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2022 - paul canet wrote: 92 Points
à 60$ comme en 2008 ca va pour +de 200$ CDN on passe...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2022 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (M&R's): Double decanted off its sediment about three hours before dinner, remaining under cork until service. Dark plummy fruit and leather aromas. Tannins are nearly fully integrated. Plush and full, with plum and black fruit and a nice green herbaceous streak. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2021 - norsktorsk wrote: 94 Points
awesome wine as usual.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
7/18/2021 - Paul Lin wrote: 92 Points
Slow ox’d for about 5 hours. Fresh fruit forward nose with notes of plum, black cherry, and milk chocolate. The palate is supple, the tannins are polished, finish is long. Blackberry, plum, black cherry, and coffee. Excellent wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2021 - azwino wrote:
Decanted 3+ hours. Still tightly wound and took some more time for aromas and flavors to sing. Fruit is faded, but great tertiary characteristics. Last glass the next morning was awesome!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2021 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
4th Saturday Group brown bagger (R&D's): Blind. Aromas of red and black fruit with herb and mocha overtones. Balanced and nicely integrated, there's no more tannin to integrate. flavors of red plum, herb and something a touch vegetal. I was fairly certain this was our bottle. Drinking very well right now, at peak for my palate. 92-93 pts.
This was double decanted off its sediment ninety minutes before the flight was poured. As I revisited this with dinner, some 3.5+ hours after the cork was pulled, it was still going strong and had not faded at all.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/6/2021 - LFCHALA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ótimo. Mais 5 anos
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/21/2021 - TomEndresplass wrote:
I had a 2007 a couple of weeks ago that blew my mind. 1 hour decant, and it was just amazing. After 2 hours, this 2004 was as tight as a knot. I out it away and let it breathe for 14 hours. This made it open, but it appears a bit young. Too much taste of alchohol, and tannins were not as fine as I expect them to be. It still worked really well with Iberico Bellota from the grill with romanesco sauce.
The 2004 is expected to last for +30 years, so I will hold the rest of my bottles for some years before a next bottle..
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2021 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cloudy crimson-ruby color. Delicious nose of sliced ripe blackberries laced with red berries. Absolutely delicious with notes of ripe mulberries dominating alongside lesser notes of blackberries and wild strawberries. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/31/2021 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted fir 10 minutes and enjoyed it over one hour. The wine is complex, balance and really delicious. This is ready to go at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/10/2021 - gmac2014 wrote: 90 Points
The wine is dark purple colored, not showing its age. The legs are slow. There was light sediment in the bottle. It smells like forest floor, cedar and black currant (cassis). It tastes like black currant (cassis) and cedar. The body is medium/full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes long.
This is a smooth tasting wine that just might have maxed out a while ago. Enjoyable. I am looking forward to comparing to the 2006 version. not sure i would pay the current price for this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/15/2020 - Wine365 wrote: 89 Points
Past it’s prime but still good. 89
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2020 - NY Wino Likes this wine: 93 Points
Probably a little late on this one, but still a tasty bottle of wine. Little more tannin and less fruit in this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2020 - westcoast foodie wrote: 94 Points
Cork 100 percent preserved. Lots of structure remaining. Fruit opens up after two hours. Simply amazing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2020 - acheng wrote: 92 Points
Showing some aging now. Herbaceous notes with cherry and sweet palate and wrapped up by fine tannin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2020 - aveeck Likes this wine: 93 Points
I'm liking it even more! I agree with others that color betrays no age, and the decanted nose is still a powerhouse. Bright eucalyptus rules the early palate. This was entirely worth the wait and I'll drink one per year until 2026 and hold the last for fun!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/23/2020 - guitarguy wrote: 92 Points
Wet underbrush and anise in the nose. Still lively with red berry, black pepper and integrate tannins and acidity. Dries just a bit. Drink any time. I’d be really hard pressed to believe this will have much stuffing left come the WA’s end drinking date of 2032. I’d say 5 years or less.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2020 - B&PBaker Likes this wine: 91 Points
Father's Day with filet, crab, and scallops.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/27/2020 - aveeck Likes this wine: 93 Points
This really opened up - and came together over 16 years. Serious dark notes of tar and dirt have matured into a still fruit-forward wine with a deep tannin backbone.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2020 - azwino Likes this wine:
wow. Decanted for an hour. Dark purple, with no hint of its age. This is drinking beautifully. Cranberry and cedar, with a hint of herbs like mint or eucalyptus. Very well balanced, with a full texture and a touch of sweetness. Tannins have faded. After three hours, completely morphs into green pepper.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2020 - SadEdjo wrote: 91 Points
Definite oak influence
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/20/2020 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Previous notes apply. Even better than when last tasted. Great value!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2019 - winoman1 wrote: 89 Points
Drinks softly but with a nose that just pops out at you with rich complexity of i'd say well integrated "prune, chocolate, tobacco and cedar" wrapped in "cassis."
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2019 - Rbtrage Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2019 - tantotinto wrote: 92 Points
Note from previous bottle consumed eight months ago still applies. This is a superb wine. The only difference is a sense in this bottle that there is little upside from here. That was not obvious to me in our last.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/20/2019 - z_willus_d wrote: 92 Points
This wine has aged well through the years. It has classic Bordeaux profile with the Chilean loam coming through. Powerful but balanced with some nuance. I believe this has years to go.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/3/2019 - hutch wrote: 90 Points
This is still quite primary, though the tannins have really softened. The earthiness that I remember from young Melchors of this timeline is also gone. In its place is a very smooth, ripe Cab showing well integrated oak notes. It was quite pleasant with dinner, and enjoyable on its own afterward. Many people will like this for the wealth of fruit and smoothness. I thought it was nice, but a little simple and not something that I would be particularly happy spending $60 (release) or $100 (current pricing I believe on this wine).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2018 - Stevey Likes this wine: 95 Points
The best Don Melchor I recall I ever tasted! I have a short vertical of this wine between 2001-2006 but stopped buying thereafter because of the steep price increase (now well over $100 at our LCBO stores), but damn this wine was almost worth buying again!
Pulled from 13C cellar and let sit for 24 hours. As usual this wine need some air time after opening, so opened and let sit for 2 hours before serving. Excellent blackcurrant fruit that is perfectly integrated with dusty tannins, full bodied.
Definitely in drinking window at peak now but can keep for a few more years. It's unfortunately the last of my 2004's but can't wait till to try the 2005's! It's just too bad this wine has shot up in price so much.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2018 - rcurry wrote: flawed
Awful
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2018 - rcurry wrote:
Awful
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2018 - Deutsch Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great, bold bottle of wine. Drinking very well...smooth for Concha but still a strong, bold and complex profile.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2018 - grafstrb wrote:
Drinking well. Moderately aged. No longer tannic. Dark-fruited, with nice earthy tones. Drank over two days, and it was just as good, if not a bit better, on Day 2 than on Day 1.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2018 - Heath48 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinking remarkably well for a 14 year old wine. Loads of tobacco and dark fruit. This wine has plenty of life left. Would decant next time just to round out the tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2018 - Neecies Likes this wine:
A terrific bottle. Black cherry, tobacco and eucalyptus, everything we hope to find with leathery secondary nuances. Still lots of room for tertiary development. Would hold another bottle, if I had one, to 2025.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2018 - Wine Poor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needed a magnum for a family dinner of grilled roast beef. This did nicely.
The wine is holding up well, but I had some trouble with the cork on this one.
I’ll try to save my last 750ml for another couple years to see what changes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2018 - alba_br Likes this wine: 92 Points
Maravilloso
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/23/2018 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Finishing up the remnants of the bottle tasted two days prior. Plum and dark fruit persists with a lingering spice undertone. Just a hint of loamy earth underneath. Balanced; finishes with nice length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/21/2018 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
4th Saturday Group: Global Cabernet Sauvignon (Our house): Blind. Aromas of red berry, herbs and earth. Medium-bodied with soft tannins and flavors of red fruit, plum, herbs and iron. Finishes with good length. 92-93 pts.
Double decanted about two hours before the flight was poured. In a nice place with a bit of air, so I'll put the drinking window at now-2028.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2018 - B&PBaker Likes this wine: 92 Points
Funky nose for the first 1/2 hour. After that all good stuff. Nice fruit, nice long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/27/2018 - tantotinto wrote: 93 Points
Tasted a half hour after decanting. Subtle nose. Black cherry, cedar box and spice on the palate. Still tastes juicy and vibrant. Superb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2018 - Uncle John wrote: 92 Points
A smooth Chilean Cabernet drinking at its peak. Slight oak still with beautiful fruit and a nice finish. This was great with pork chops on the BBQ.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2018 - alba_br Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excelente.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2018 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking well. Subtle fruit and smooth tannins. Nice and probably at its plateau.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2018 - danbit Likes this wine: 91 Points
Amazing bottle!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/27/2018 - depdoc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fruit is subtle, tannins are smoothed out. No signs of going over the hill.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2018 - om42 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very good. Went well with steaks. Slight green pepper note that faded after a couple hours. Tannins well integrated and good developmental notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2018 - syrahz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Enjoyed with friends and a beef stew dinner on New Year's day. Plenty of life left yet in this wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/17/2017 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 92 Points
Some light bricking. Tons of sediment. Plush smooth plum and cassis notes. The rough edges are gone- dense rounded tannins on the finish. I'd say this is near peak.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2017 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
Opened by Allred. No formal notes. 2nd time I have had this wine. 92 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2017 - grafstrb wrote:
Expressive Nose is dark-fruited; noticeable tar, too. Purple fruited and a bit funky on the palate. This has certainly found its way to a "relaxed" point in its evolution, and it's drinking beautifully right now. Still plenty of time to go in the cellar, but if you like your "aged" wines on the young side then Go Time is now. Drink now and over the next 10 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2017 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wasn't sure what to expect. Let breathe for just over an hour. Pleasant nose. Fruit is bold and tastes like a Cali cab with about 10-15% of old world mustiness. Good finish. Would never be able to identify as Chilean.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2017 - bonedoc wrote: 93 Points
Decanted and drank over two hours. Dark purple w some bricking around the edges. Plumb, hints of licorice and cinnamon, good concentration, medium finish. Nicely done in a style that splits old and new world, will go another 5 yrs but will become more elegant... but my last bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2017 - jocelyng wrote: 95 Points
Wonderful bordeaux style wine. Red cherry, sweet vanilla, cinnamon. Complex and long.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2017 - Marc S wrote: 91 Points
- Brick color with slow forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry and strawberry with a medium body. Satin-Like texture with a medium finish - Gear bottle of wine
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2017 - Tannic Monster Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic Don Melchor. Dark and dense wit grippy tannins. Layers of tar, graphite, current, black berry, licorice, and dusty cocao notes.
Drinking at peak I would presume.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2017 - guitarguy wrote: 91 Points
Seemed fully mature, nose of alcohol, tree sap and resin. Mild to moderate tannins with a bit of heat, black pepper, tar and blueberry. I think drink 1-3 years. Lots of sediment, be careful and stand it up a bit before decanting to save a mouthful of sediment.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2017 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
blinds (kie-gol-lanee, chicago IL): Nose: The nose is well balanced and aromatic with dark red cherries, cassis, leather tones, bell peppers, licorice, earth tones, and some loamy notes.
Taste: Full bodied with medium+ tannins and medium acidity. The tannins are silky and starting to resolve while the acidity is balanced. The feel is refined with a touch of warmth to the fruit along with dark red cherries, cassis, leather tones, bell pepper, and loamy notes.
Overall: This is drinking beautifully right now. It is well balanced with excellent depth and class. This did need the better part of 2+ hours decanting, but really shone once it was fully open.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2017 - Duce wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 1 hour - Still has great fruit, tar, licorice
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/8/2017 - benny wrote: 95 Points
Singing after a one hour decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2017 - Neecies wrote:
Garnet color, bricking. More advanced than expected based on prior experience with other Don Melchors; less black currant and eucalyptus too. Muted cocoa-y flavors, lots of sediment. Very drinkable but not what I'd hoped for. Remaining bottle goes in the drinking queue!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2017 - NY Wino wrote: 92 Points
Double decanted and drinking beautifully.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2016 - wculpepper Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for three hours; heavy sediment. Garnet color with slight bricking. Nice nose of cassis, vanilla, leather and minerals. Full-bodied and complex dark fruits on the palate, well structured by ample acids and soft tannins. Brought a smile to my face which lasted through a lengthy and smooth finish. You can no longer find a Cali cab of this quality at this price ($50). It is at its peak, and should drink well for several more years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2016 - tb76 wrote: 91 Points
Deep purple, nearly opaque, eucalyptus, dark berry, mineral, structured, very good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2016 - shellylowen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark berries and cocoa, full body with mouth coating tannins. Long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/29/2016 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 92 Points
Plenty of ripe plum and cherry fruit. Fine, fully integrated tannins on finish. A particularly nice qpr compared to Napa cabs of a similar quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2016 - rexmerlot wrote: 92 Points
Clear dark purple in colour. Clean nose of cedar and cassis. Dry, med body, med acidity, smooth tannins, lots of floral, cedar, cassis, and blackberry on plate. Nice finish. Great wine. Still drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2016 - SadEdjo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour. Impenetrable colour. Heady cassis nose. Plush cassis, dark fruit, sandlewood. Sweet & savoury. Plush tannins. Good tannins. Plenty of years of life ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2016 - redz wrote: 93 Points
Dark, gripping cab, lots of time left
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2016 - TD2Irish Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened and decanted for an hour, dark red in color some light bricking on the edge. Lots of red and blue fruit, hints of smoke and spices, tannis resolved nice finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2016 - azwino wrote: 93 Points
Wow. Bought this when I first came out, waited a long time before opening. It can go for quite a bit more. Balanced and integrated, but not yet thin. Velvety, smooth. Blackberry, chocolate with a finish of eucalyptus. Picking up some vanilla or oak on the aroma. Fantastic!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2016 - wjochim Likes this wine: 92 Points
At its peak! So delicious with lovely dark fruit, without being a fruit bomb, and a very slightly earthy finish. The tannins have mellowed out nicely. Wish I had a few more bottles!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2016 - Chapel Likes this wine: 94 Points
wow,nice to have a mature wine for dinner! Smooth, bold, bodied. No alcohol resistance. good fruit flavor but not a berry wine such as a zin. Lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/28/2016 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (Sue's): Opens with notes of dark fruit and herbs with a nice smoky undertone. Full-bodied and balanced, with good structure, tannin, dark fruit and plum. Develops an interesting asphalt/tar note. Finishes with good length and plenty of fruit. I was surprised to see this unveiled as the 2004 Don Melchor as I have had the 2004 as well as other vintages quite a few times and I don't recall ever having gotten a tar note. 93+ pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/1/2016 - Donjcorleone Likes this wine: 92 Points
The 2004 Don Melchor (94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc) displays a nose that is dark and black currant driven along with cedar, coffee bean, tobacco as well an herbal/menthol note that leads to a full bodied, silky mouth-coating wine that is blackberry dominant along with spice and wood flavors that linger on the finish. And I'll spare everyone my feelings and opinions on where the pricing of this wine has gone ;)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2016 - wmccone54 wrote: 92 Points
Seems hard to believe that it was six years ago since I last enjoyed this wine. Pulled from a 55 degree cellar, where it's resided since 2008. Perfect cork with no problems with intrusion. Lots of development, but still has many years left. I was expecting this to be thinner and displaying more red fruits....wrong on both counts. Still big, dark and full bodied, and more expressive than back in 2010. Nose displays dark berries, iodine, and a slight hint of black coffee. Dried blackberry, black plum, vanilla creme, coffee grounds, leather, and cedar mulch and dark dirt flavors. Still has both silky tannin and mild acid underneath to support future cellaring. Generally dry in the mouth, setting up a long finish. Enjoyed with a chargrilled ribeye, and it did alright. Impressive and a very good QPR at $50. Surprisingly little sediment in the decanter on the end of the night night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2016 - geneswine wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Still wonderful fruit and flavors. Not quite as juicy as a couple of years ago but outstanding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/16/2016 - floridawinedrkr Does not like this wine:
I am not a fan of the 2004. I love the 2008, 2010 and the 2011 is pretty good also. Stick with the 2008 & 2010 as they are far superior.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2016 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Occasional tasting group (By TBa @ WN Top South America plus some extra's.): Deep bouquet with sweet spices, oak and dark forest fruits. On the palate dark berries, chocolate, sweet spices like cinnamon, beautiful acidity and round and soft tannin. Beautiful wine, ready now and a future of several years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2016 - NY Wino Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark ruby color, smoky nose, dark fruit and tar flavors. Nice finish. Drinking well now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2016 - bonedoc wrote: 94 Points
Ditto last note excep, not over the hill as I was concerned about. Quite good and still hanging on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2016 - floridawinedrkr wrote:
I believe this bottle was flawed. It had strong raisins and prune notes. It was very heavy with off notes throughout.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/21/2016 - Plabella wrote:
hospice 2016
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2016 - tantotinto wrote: 92 Points
Tasted immediately after opening and decanting. Wonderful nose of ripe fruit and graphite. Smooth, plush and fruit forward with a long finish. A beautiful wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/14/2016 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is the last bottle of a case purchased in 2007. I seem to have had a higher opinion about this one than the average CT.com reviewer and have loved every bottle. However, it seems to have been on a slight decline since 2013. There seem to be a lot of bottles left in cellars out there. I would drink up.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2016 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted about 90 minutes. May need to breathe a bit longer to open up but all not in agreement on that one. Very nice nose. Pleasant black fruit with non subtle graphite and some tannins. The least appealing feature was the finish. A bit weak and leaves the back of the tongue wanting more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2016 - G_H wrote: 92 Points
Great stuff! Classic cassis, nice length and good acidity levels, right now it is just perfect
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2016 - Biggsy wrote: 90 Points
Really lovely nose with black fruits, tobacco and pencil shavings. It’s actually a little more restrained than I expected with a savoury edge to the fruit and a lovely cedarwood and cigar-smoke character running across the palate. There is a bit of grip, but it’s fine and ripe. Very good, but still reasonably primary.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2015 - Kheuman wrote: flawed
Yuck. Was really looking forward to drinking this after saving it properly for several years. It was corked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2015 - briquette wrote: 89 Points
Holding up well but not getting any better
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2015 - Wine Poor Likes this wine: 91 Points
Holding up nicely, so no hurry to drink remaining bottles.
Went well with standing rib roast beef.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/16/2015 - Poisey Likes this wine: 93 Points
Round smooth and long finish. Tar smoke with ample dark fruit. Great balance with plenty of structure. Peaking.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/20/2015 - Wine Poor wrote: 92 Points
From magnum. Delicious with grilled roast beef. Good the next day too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/18/2015 - andtheodor wrote: 92 Points
Rich currant, dark berry, coffee, mineral, some torrefaction, but cool, clean and really focused. Minty, ripe palate that verges on blueberry, quite succulent but still very structured. Pretty suave wine, reminds me of Beringer Private Reserve, a nice surprise, drinking really well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/17/2015 - vlzat wrote: 93 Points
Full body, dark garnet red color. Intensively aromatic, typical for Cabernet Sauvignon dominant black fruits, spices, black pepper, oak and floral notes aroma. Ripen black currants and blueberry, plum, cedar wood and dark chocolate, very spicy on the palate, hot, peppery and juicy on extra-long finish. Powerful and rich but still refreshing, bold structure and heavy texture, complex and well balanced, lovely acidity, completely integrated sweet tannins. Food friendly, best match is red meat, but well associates with not dominant cheeses. Serve 18º - 24º. Open half hour in advance. At peak now and promise to stay in same condition about five years Drink now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2015 - Vino Me wrote: 90 Points
Opened by Allred. Decanted for 45 minutes. Part of a 5 bottle vertical. Blackish red color. Needs the most time out of the 5 bottles. Some alcohol and heat in this wine. Notes of spices and cassis. My least favorite of the group. 89-90 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2015 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Decanted forty five minutes before dinner. Aromas of black fruits and cherry, herbs and loamy earth. Has a subtle licorice undertone. Balanced but has some tannin to shed. Black fruit, berries, mint and dried herb flavors. Some oak/wood on the lengthy finish. Give this a few years yet; drink from 2018+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2015 - thelostverse wrote: 92 Points
Opened by Allred. This was my least favorite upon opening, but gradually came around on me. Dark fruits with partially integrated tannins. This may end up being better than the others with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2015 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 94 Points
No decant. Still very good, but seems to have reached a point where it will not get better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/24/2015 - Comte de Rousset Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nez expressif de mazout qui s'atténue au fil de la soirée. Fruit noir, cassis, prune. Terreux. Bouche équilibrée, longue et onctueuse. Tannins enrobés. À boire maintenant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/11/2015 - guitarguy wrote: 92 Points
Really nice lift in the nose with raspberry framed by oak. On the palate, classic cabernet, red currant, moderate tannin, oak, vanilla and baked notes on exit. Time to go, can age some more as well. On the negative, the tannins seem just a bit too exuberant for the remaining fruit. I might keep this on a short leash, 2-4 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2015 - RNS2003 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Purchased on release, Decanted for about a hour, IMHO still has 5 years plus left... Nice fruit and still had a bit of a grip on the palate which i enjoyed...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/18/2015 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clear, deep ruby. The nose is clean, with medium (+) aromas of blackberry and black currant, red plum, vanilla and mocha. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, medium (+) tannins and medium (+) alcohol (14.5%), all nicely integrated and well balanced. This is a full-bodied red which manages to maintain a certain elegance and finesse. Drinking well now and in its sweet spot, but not showing signs of advanced age. A nice bridging of styles between Bordeaux and Napa. This punches well above its price point. 6% Cabernet Franc.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2014 - Poisey Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lots of tar rubber smoke and ash. Nice fruit and balance. Long lingering finish. Complex elegant yet assertive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2014 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
This improved on day 2.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2014 - vinniemontoni Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 2 hrs. Nose was red and blue fruits with some alcohol left. Medium palate. Red fruits, well balanced with oak notes, vanilla and a hint of spices. Well integrated tannins. Finish is very long and enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2014 - twelch wrote: 90 Points
Starting to show it's age. I wouldn't wait too much longer. A faint touch of mint on the nose along with dried herbs currant and cherry. Drinking well with a nice aged steak this evening. A nice bottle but don't think I'd spend 60+ on a more current release.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2014 - johnnyo wrote: 93 Points
Lovely again
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2014 - BordeauxBoy wrote: 90 Points
Not aging as well as the 1994 that I had at a great party a few years ago. Bought retail but it's been cellared well since. Good now but fruit starting to disappear and wood filling it's place. I liked it today without food but will drink my other two bottle more quicker than I thought.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2014 - wetlandwino wrote: 93 Points
This is an excellent wine with a well integrated blend of fruit and silky tannins. Paired beautifully with a cap steak and red wine reduction sauce. Could still drink over the next year or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2014 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really nice stuff. Nose of red and black fruits with a hint of tobacco and mint. On the palate, rich and dense with black currant, bright red cherry, mint, and tobacco. Nice lift on a grippy finish. Need to find more as this got better as the night went on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2014 - Wine Poor wrote: 90 Points
Had this one with rib eye steak. It went well with dinner and had lots of Chilean loamy earth character. However, not quite as enjoyable as previous bottles.
(After checking previous notes I was comparing this to 2003 vintage as I don't have any 2004 reviews recorded since joining CT a few years ago. So it's been a few years at least since my last 2004. NTS: better make some plans to crack a magnum this summer:)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2014 - timdrex Likes this wine: 92 Points
Grippy tannins and lots of complexity. This wine could go many more years before maturing, but alas it was my last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2014 - Marcyrillo Likes this wine:
needs time
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/28/2014 - bonedoc wrote: 93 Points
Lovely elegant wine w good concentration and some secondaries. Drink over next 2-3 yrs, as I suspect fruit will start to fade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2014 - johnnyo wrote: 93 Points
One of the best Chilean wines I've had the pleasure of drinking in recent memory. Very well made. Classic Cabernet profile with an slight emphasis on old world style. Lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2014 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
The (almost) Kick-Off to the World Cup (Domaine Wine Storage, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose screams Cabernet with bell peppers, dark red cherries, cedar, herbs, some licorice and loamy tones. There is excellent depth with a good dark red fruit core.
Taste: Medium/Full bodied with medium acidity and good supporting tannins. The structure still shows youth, but it isn't over powering with bell peppers, dark red cherries, licorice, and cedar tones.
Overall: This was showing very well. It also has a long way to go as the structure is still quite there and it's not showing all too much in the way of secondary flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2014 - tooch wrote: 88 Points
Lots of smokey earth and tar on the nose with some dark fruits...maybe a hint of blueberries too. Palate had some serious viscosity and density to it but was also nicely balanced. Definitely a dark and deep wine...but with some more time this should continue a shift towards elegance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2014 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
This was really, really sweet, and just a bit jammy on both the nose and palate, but showing a slight bit of scorched earth on the side. Fully resolved tannins. Not a bottle of wine masquerading as anything else, this is what I expected in its entirety from a high-end South American Bordeaux blend. Age has treated this wine very, very well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2014 - RJ Gordon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Big red fruit, currants, with a big body. Interesting on the nose, expressive on the palate, understated on the finish. Very enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2014 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Very dark purple/red color. Decanted for 2 hours, drank 2 glasses over 1.5 hrs. This still took awhile to open in glass, but became perfumed with moist earth, red fruits, briar, brambly fruit, red berries, pencil lead, cassis, and later some dried forest floor. The palate is full bodied, earthy, loam, silky, oak - moderate and fairly integrated, dark red fruits and cassis, plum, medium grained and somewhat firm tannins with some pleasant spice on the finish. This was quite good, but - it did become very deeply earthy in a pungent kind of way that after the first hour started to become somewhat one dimensional and a little distracting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2013 - Border Boss wrote: 90 Points
Served 3 hours after decanting. Heavy amounts of VA on serving, which blew off in the glass. Lots of tannins doing their best to mask the black fruit which is definitely there. Still very young and deserving of more cellar time, but it will be interesting to see if the fruit outlives the tannins to become more pleasant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2013 - Scottlmatthews Likes this wine: 93 Points
More age is making this wine better...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2013 - BigWhiskey Likes this wine: 91 Points
Crimson colored wine, slow legs, hints of Blackberry, and Blueberry. Full bodies, smooth texture.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2013 - asgerG wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 1h. Dark red, slim yellow rim, 6. Firm blackcurrant nose, sun ripe notes and sweet oak behind. Harmonious palate, fine tannin, blackcurrant fruity finish. Drink now - 2020. Very european for an over seas wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2013 - gmbdds wrote:
Dark, youthful color without bricking. Ripe and dense with fig fruit prominent. Nose and palate are nice but the finish was off-putting, as if someone put out a menthol cigarette in the glass. I like menthol and tobacco notes in wine, but something here was amiss. Not scored.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2013 - vlzat wrote: 92 Points
Full body, deep cherry red color, aromatic, ripe red fruits, black currant and spicy aroma, forest berries, spices and chocolate on the palate, ripe fruit on finish, dark chocolate on very long finish, bold, still fresh, juicy, completely integrated tannins, slightly and very nice acidity, well balanced, complex and elegant, food friendly. Well associated with goulash. Serve 18º - 20º. Open at least one hour beforehand. At peak now and will in same condition next four, five years. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2013 - slrankin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2013 - briquette wrote: 90 Points
Nice structure and ripe but why is it Chilean wines always have a vegetable taste--asparagas, green beans whatever
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/11/2013 - pc2006mg wrote: 94 Points
Very nice drinking right now!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
Nose: There is some ripeness to the fruit with tones of dark red fruits, black fruits, licorice, oak, leather, some loamy tones, and pencil lead notes. There is good complexity to this, but it is lacking some depth.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with good supporting tannins and medium+ acidity. There are riper tones of dark red fruits, licorice, oak, leather, loam, and pencil lead tones.
Overall: This was showing riper than what I normally drink these days. Still, there was good balance to it and it was showing very well right now, but with plenty of structure to age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2013 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
Slightly better on day 2. 91 --> 92 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2013 - shormi wrote: 93 Points
Still young and tannic. Jammy. Peppery.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2013 - slrankin wrote: 93 Points
Opened, entered the forest- dense, black earth- a bit of barn. Then layered, with notes of fruit and asphalt. Decanted 2 hours- better & better. never flagged. Color dark, and cloudy- not yet orange tinged. A great pleasure. Much better now than the last tasted two years ago.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2013 - shellylowen wrote: 93 Points
- Aromas of blackberry, black currant, prune and bell pepper. It's balanced with a medium/full body. Juicy texture with a long finish - Started with high acid, but became perfectly balanced after 1/2 hour
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2013 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 95 Points
Black currant and blueberries. Elegant in style. Did not decant and do not believe it needed to be....except for some sediment. This was the 10th bottle of a full case. Had put it in the drink now part of my wine room because the pro reviewers project the last drink year as 2013. However, the wine seems now at a drinking peak and likely has at least a couple of more years left. This is a very, very, good wine.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2013 - igaf wrote:
Fruity nose, blackcurrants and earth, then a tiny touch of funk. Good, fruity attack, balanced, med. to full body, silky. Black cherries on the palate, dark fruit, ripe tannins. Very long, just a touch spicy, black fruit aftertaste ending again on a funky note.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2013 - bilnjil Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened this magnum for a good 2 hours decant and it opened up. Good structure with cassis and dark fruit with cedar and forest floor lying just underneath. Finish was long with dusty tannins and hints of spicebox. Overall a wonderful wine - 95% cab sauv/5% cab franc. This wine seems in its peak right now but that window could go for another 2-3 years in cellar perhaps.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2013 - Vinoevelo wrote: 92 Points
Slow ox'd for 6 hours. Dark violet colour. Big dark fruit nose, hint of cedar. Dark fruit and cassis on the palate hints of iron and a smokey/meaty quality to the finish. Tannins are resolved. Thick polished mouthfeel. A bit brash and not particularly elegant. Well made wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2013 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Previous notes apply. Wine is drinking very nicely. Loads of leather noted with cassis and black cherry fruit. Delicious.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2013 - TheDarkPrince wrote: 90 Points
Many peeps will love this one. It's very good, but maybe not what I wanted this evening. Very toasty, rustic nose. Lots of dark fruit. Full of aromatics. Visually, the wine is impenetrable. Extremely dark and quite angry!
Tannins are solid and still standing tall. Lots of texture on the palette, and has some sweetness. Dark plums and cherries dominate. I recognize this as a strong effort, just not my ideal choice tonight.
:0)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2013 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs; 3/19/2013-3/20/2013 (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): The wine looks Purple colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Black currant (cassis), Blackberry, Cherry, Cedar, and Lead Pencil. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Polished texture. The wine finishes Long. Alvaro's wine. We failed to identify its Chilean origins.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2013 - bubbachumps wrote: 93 Points
30 minute decant before it was consumed with a ribeye and onion rings. Could've used some more decanting than I gave it. Color was slighly bricking dark violet. Very intriguiging nose with notes of cassis, iron, beef and a pleasant mineral-earthiness. In the mouth, drinks younger than it would appear from its color and age, has noticeable structure. Very tasty!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2012 - BRSAustinTex Likes this wine: 91 Points
More new world than others have described. Eucalyptus on the nose with taste of dark chocolate, earth, and a bit vegetal (in a good way). Black cherry, blackberry and blueberry and a 30+ second finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2012 - Wink Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark purple. Nose of dust, vanilla, blackberry, and menthol. Ripe medium palate of blackberry, cedar, vanilla, graphite, and minerals. Excellent length. Pleasant acidity. Sweet tannins. Good balance. Don Melchor is always a nice synthesis of new and old world styles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2012 - Grape Stuff Likes this wine: 90 Points
1 hour decant. No formal notes, gods fruit and spice but dominated by a vegetal note. Not flawed. Very good - excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2012 - jonradus wrote: 92 Points
It's ready! The tannins have mellowed significantly and the fruit is round and pleasant. Nice nose of coffee, herbs, beef, and cassis. Big cassis fruit and coffee flavor. The finish is gripping, dense, and chewy, but approachable. I thought this needed more time three years ago. More time=3 years I guess...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2012 - traderspartan wrote: 94 Points
Very solid. Fruit driven with nice earth and great balance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2012 - petitblanc wrote: 90 Points
Dark cranberry, tinges of violet, quite light at the rim. This was reminiscent of a bottle tasted several years ago, but with greater depth. Loads of roasted coffee and a little rubber and barnyard on the nose, with more chewy coffee, chocolate, and grapey fruit on the palate. The hot alcohol builds though the finish. A few more years may help integrate the substantial tannins, but the heat may grow more obtrusive as well. If you don't mind the tannins, this is quite pleasant now, for its complexity and interesting profile. From A's cellar, at his house.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2012 - benny wrote: 94 Points
The wine is now showing it's stuff. Very special cab. Layers of complexity...coffee,lead pencil,toast and much more. Tannins are perfect and the finish long and graceful. Maybe this should be 95 or 96?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2012 - Rob_Sutherland wrote: 92 Points
Slow ox for 1 hour. Huge crowd pleaser and much better than I expected. Quite nuanced, less "big" than I expected. Seems totally ready to go but certainly not near over the hill. Lots of coffee, fig skin, blackberry (like every one else has mentioned.).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2012 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Slow-O 1 hour. My notes are consistent with WDK's. This was good, but not great. I'm not sure it was worth the $45 I paid years ago, but given that my friends couldn't stop talking about it, maybe it was. The CT notes suggested this was ready to go and not likely to get better - I second that opinion, it's time to drink up. I have also adjusted the drinking window to 2014-15. Packed with cassis, coffee grounds, mocha and sweet briary fruits, this was good but a few rungs below great. 14,5% abv, B+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2012 - WDK wrote: 92 Points
A big dark cab showing obvious new world profile. Nose of currant and plum, sweet fruit and mineral with a hint of evergreen on the palate. Thick on the finish with power rather than elegance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2012 - Amerique wrote: 92 Points
Rich, delicious full-bodied black cherry fruit with cassis, cedar, coffee, and earth flavors, excellent structure, very tight, short finish, reminds me of the Merus style but not as opulent, deep, or sweet-tasting fruit, need airing
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2012 - cubswinws wrote: 91 Points
Nice nose of fruit and soft cedar. Nice pleasant cabernet but not a lot of depth and relatively short finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/4/2012 - David J Cooper wrote: 91 Points
Dark red/purple. Very nice developed black fruit and earth nose, black currants, plums and a hint of coffee. Not green or ripe but very nicely balanced. More developed then bottle drank 6 months ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2012 - Yiannis wrote: 90 Points
Not as good as the 2005. Dark garnet in color. The nose is much shyer compared to the 2005, and the fruits are more red than black, deviating from the Chilean blackberry/dark fig stereotype, which is not a bad thing in the first place. Some cedar and tertiary undergrowth aromatics are also present, intensifying the wine's old world orientation. On the palate however, new world sweetness is there. Tannins are ultra-soft and overall balance is very good. Long aftertaste. Ready to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2012 - bons vinhos wrote: 90 Points
Had it for lunch,with ribs and potatoes,decanted and kept checking back every 15 minutes,to figure out that you must let it breathe for at least one hour,before giving it a try.Rreally good,I believe that, in a bilnd tasting,I wouldn´t be able to tell it was a chilean wine,as it seemed very much bordeaux like....It's a food wine,so much better with beef than by itself.Left a little bit for dinner,not the same wine,darker fruits not as pleasant as it was at first.If you have one of these,drink up and you won't regret it...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2012 - Tarrant wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured, delicious but 4 years after our last bottle of this it's on the downside meaning it's become a touch flabby, extremely smooth, but lacking in structure to give this any hope of a long life, definitely something to be said for those who are advocating that these blockbuster Chilean cabs simply don't have the back bone for long life, that it matters is subjective of course, and it was afterall still quite delicious - Dark, full bodied with a nose of blackfruit, green leaf tobacco, cedar, plum and vanilla, very well integrated and silky smooth on the palate, a touch simple yet very tasty and long on the finish, drink up! (93 Points).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2012 - vancouvermatt wrote: 90 Points
Really quite disappointing for the price... drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2012 - jeffal66 wrote: 89 Points
No notes. Drank over two nights. Not a standout in my mind. Intense, dense, some tar, fruit isn't prominent at this point. Good but not great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/29/2012 - NY Wino wrote: 88 Points
Heavy Tar on the nose and finish..needs time
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2012 - shellylowen wrote: 93 Points
Delicious
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2012 - bonedoc wrote: 93 Points
Stored at 55 since purchase.Popped cork, poured one glass and waited an hour, then drank the bottle over 4 hours. Medium body, ample medium/dark fruits, hint of cab franc comes thru at the end w well integrated oak. A lovely wine, well balanced, nice fruit, not overdone or hot in any way. Hard to complain about as I think this would appeal to most palates. Did start to fade at 4 hours. Peak drinking now and dont think further btl age is warranted, will finish mine in the next 3 yrs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2012 - fjv3 wrote: 94 Points
On the money with a 30 to 45 minute. Lovely balance between the fruits and structure of the wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2012 - LeatherPalate wrote: 93 Points
Hitting it's stride. Dark fruit, pencil shavings, tobacco, cedar. Quite young but fully drinking.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2011 - cooberp wrote: 85 Points
Maybe this was an off bottle or off vintage, but I was not happy with this wine. Popped and poured, it had the worst-of-both-worlds problem of being aggressively, raspily tannic but also underripe, with a nose dominated by green pepper. After a night of slow-oxing, the fruit turned raisiny and the finish got sour. I've had better experiences with other years of this wine--it's usually a reliable, well-made albeit anonymous and commodified modern red--but it's worth noting that this downside risk exists.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2011 - asgerG wrote: 93 Points
Decanted and poured. Dark red, yellow rim, 6. Intense nose, dark fruits, cassis, clean. Harmonious and polished on the palate, finely balanced tannins, again cassis, long finish. Drink now - 2017
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2011 - lano wrote: 91 Points
Had this as a second bottle on thanksgiving. previous bottle was american cabernet that was somewhat ho-hum. this is not ho-hum. spicy and with some pretty chunky tannins, it probably needs a few more years to come into its own, but very good at this point. for what i paid, this was an excellent value and i'm glad to have another couple of vintages left in the cellar to compare to. palate is mostly dark fruit and a bit of chocolate. nice length overall.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2011 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Dark black/red. Big nose, spicey red fruit, great concentration. Very rich slightly ripe flavours, cassis, oak and blackberry. A very dry tannic finish.
I really enjoyed this, it was at it's early drinking window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2011 - GalvezGuy wrote: 90 Points
Birthday Week; 10/9/2011-10/16/2011 (Galveston, TX): Part of Birthday Week. Popped and poured. Faint nose, cassis, cedar, mint, mocha. On the palate it was thin with black fruits, mint, sour cherry. Finish seemed a little clipped. As the night went on, if fleshed out very nicely to become more consistent with previous notes. Still, not as good as previous bottles, maybe in a bit of a dumb phase?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2011 - LesterKwong wrote: 90 Points
Bright purple on color. Tons of oak, with hints of pencil shaving on the nose. Medium-full body with well integrated tannins on elevated acidity. Repeat of nose in the mouth on a moderate finish. sound.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2011 - Fielding wrote: 91 Points
Decanted two hours. Youthful in glass. Nose of typical Don Melchor mulberry funk, with notes of cedar and menthol. Currants and mulberries on the palate, with coffee, mint, pencil lead and bay leaf. Still young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2011 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Don Melchor Night (Rick's & Cris'): Decanted for 3 hours, then slow-o'd in bottle for another 3+ before dinner began. Aromas of eucalyptus and mint, with loam and dark fruit. Has much more of a dark fruit profile than the 2005. Full-bodied, with flavors of cassis and black fruit, spice and herbs. Finishes very nicely. Solid, and nearing the start of its window. Drink 2013+.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/9/2011 - GalvezGuy wrote: 93 Points
Been almost a year so I decided to check in with this. Great nose of black currant, cedar, dark chocolate, espresso, mint. On the palate, black currant, blackberry mint, sour cherry, dark chocolate, and hints of tobacco. Finish was long and very dry with dusty tannins. Still has some upside as the tannins need to resolve. This will be the longest lived of the Don Melchors that I have tried. Drink with a decant or continue to hold.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2011 - ljl203 wrote: 94 Points
Dark purple core with red bricking. Needs several hours to open up. Distinct mocha coffee core, with honey, berries, pencil shavings, bay leaf / bitter notes. Tightly curled tannins and a 30+ second finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/27/2011 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 90 Points
Nice medium bodied CS. Sweet cassis flavors dominate with firm tannins on finish. Classic flavors with bones to age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2011 - msilver wrote: 92 Points
At first was closed, but opened up after one hour. Nice cab, dark fruits, cocoa on the nose. Very nice on the pallete with very smooth tannin structure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/29/2011 - PASimon wrote: 89 Points
A bit more heat on the finish and more dry fruit oriented than the 2005....but good. Not going to get any better though...I'll knock my last bottle out by fall.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2011 - Double D wrote: 90 Points
Dark and rich cab but this bottle had a bit of a funky aroma...not terrible but not as good as 4-5 previous bottles from this vintage. The rest of the bottles seem to have plenty of time left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2011 - drgrape wrote: 93 Points
Nice, rich cab with dark fruits and light oak. Very enjoyable with no decanting but improved with about an hour.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2011 - ecola Likes this wine: 91 Points
Less explosive than the 2003, but still filled with black fruit. Silky and soft on the palate. Sweet tannins on the back end.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2011 - J2K wrote:
Once in a while I'll get one of these Chilean wines that give off a gasoline/kerosene aroma. Seems no matter how long you decant, it just won't blow off. I've had this wine before and loved it. Unfortunately, this one had the smell.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2011 - jahlove wrote:
Pleasantly surprised by this. Was expecting something more bombastic but this shows a restrained almost Bordeaux like quality. Dark fruits and some chocolate for sure but has a nice green edge with some earth as well. Wood is noticeable but nicely integrated at this point. Still fresh with a good amount of tannin in reserve. The finish leaves you a bit wanting though. Clearly in its drinking window but will keep for at least 2-3 more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2011 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
A few blind wines (my place): nose: elegant and well balanced nose filled with tones of leather, roasted herbs, tobacco, dark red cherries and some bits of dark red florals. Well balanced and very aromatic right now, but still holding back a bit
taste: medium bodied with medium/high acidity and well balanced tones of roasted herbs, tobacco, dark red cherries, red florals and some dark red fruits as well. Plush tannins still support this wine and it does still seem to feel a bit young
overall: this was nice when revealed. It had been a while since I've had this and it was a good check up on it's progression. This still seems on the younger side, but is a real lovely cab right now once it gets some air
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2011 - MontesM wrote: 92 Points
Good fruit up front. Much more well-rounded than the 2006, which was a disappointment to me. Pleasantly surprised at the muteness of the oak, which I was bracing for (it's there, but not overdone by any stretch of the imagination). Tobacco, figs and a bit of dark chocolate on the finish. Probably close to peaking right now, as far as I can tell, although I wouldn't hesitate to wait a bit longer based on other experiences with slightly older DM.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2011 - CdP in NYC wrote: 93 Points
Similar to last note, with roasted herb and mint in focus. Outstanding; smooth, full, long and polished.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2011 - nogohawk wrote: 93 Points
Excellent cab - drinking real well now; blackberry, cocoa & a bit of spice - nice long finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2011 - schway wrote: 93 Points
really nice. rich and concentrated, delicious, even flamboyant at times, but also with old world complexity and character. cassis, blackberry, cocoa, graphite, smoke, cedar, tobacco. nice earthy quality, even some barnyard funk. very well balanced. long finish. ripe tannins are mellowing and integrating well. alcohol level seems just right. not too hot. very pleasantly surprised.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2011 - tp096255 wrote: 93 Points
---
COLOR: Opaque garnet w/med garnet rim
NOTE: Raspberry/blackberry liqueur nose, shaved dark chocolate, crushed walnut shells. No heat. mouth is just lovely & rich with sweet boysenberry and dried strawberry/cranberry & dark chocolate. Almost black tea tannins, superfine. No heat anywhere. Finish is 30+ seconds of blackberry liqueur, ash, dark chocolate. This is more intriguing than the 05 and gets the nod.
DECANT: 2 hours
GLASS USED: Bordeaux
TASTE: 9.3
COST: 37
VALUE: 8.8
PREVIOUSLY TASTED: n/a
TRY AGAIN: n/a
PAIRING: n/a
Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net
---
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2011 - mjsherwin68 wrote: 92 Points
This one was better than the last bottle I had. Much more refind and comming together nicely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2011 - AdamWallstein wrote: 90 Points
I thought this quite old world in its approach. Aromas and flavors of red fruit, lentil soup and subtle expresso. The palate has good medium weight but there's a bit of green on the finish which I found slightly distracting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2011 - nogohawk wrote: 92 Points
Decant 30 mins. - A bit green a first, but opened up nicely; Purple color with currant, oak & a bit of spice - tannins have mellowed; very drinkable now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2011 - CdP in NYC wrote: 91 Points
This is ripe and sweet with loads of charcoal, ash, tobacco and olive on this nose and palate. Will continue to improve over the next decade or so, but I see no sense in sitting on these.
Drink now and over the next five years. 91 -JS
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2010 - amgryger wrote:
NY/NJ WLTV Offline at Anthony Davids (Anthony David's, Hoboken): Rich dark black currant on the nose along with oak and spice. Similar notes on the palate. Full-bodied. Big tannin structure and a bit mouth drying.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2010 - LesterKwong wrote: 92 Points
My second bottle of my six pack. Popped and poured. Deep dark ruby red almost opaque. Heavy nose of oak, blackcurrant, blackberries, vanilla with a bit of graphite and mint. Full body with a luscious mouth feel with still gripping tannins and a bit of heat in the mouth. There is a good balance of dark fruits and oak in the mouth but the secondary characteristics have yet developed. Hold for another few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2010 - Heartking wrote: 80 Points
Have had lots of this before and usually very consistently excellent. Bottle perfectly stored at 57 degrees for a couple years....maybe corked. Stink blew off after overnight decant, but still tasted....odd. Revealed dense black cherries but still not what I remember. Historically, one of my Chilean favs, but this one not so hot. Will have to revisit with a new bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/8/2010 - TD2Irish wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for several hours, dark sweet fruit, tabacoo, and a smokey note. A real mouthful, that just coats every inch and a long finish that makes you want to go back for more. I still think this wine will benefit form additional time in the bottle. Hope I can wait 3 more years before I open another.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2010 - MarkMich wrote: 94 Points
Wonderfully balanced full bodied Cab, and drinking great right now. red fruit, tar and cassis on the nose. I decanted for an hour and the wine was a little green at first but quickly resolved itself. red current, tar and vanilla with smooth tannins. Long finish. My expectations were not high after reading some of the other notes but I found this to be one of the best wines I've had this year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2010 - joshwoodward wrote: flawed
Corked. Not terribly, I'd still give it upper 80s, but it's relatively closed down and dead in the mid palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2010 - geneswine wrote: 94 Points
Great balance, great flavors
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/18/2010 - jcbrand wrote: 92 Points
This is a more refined wine than I was expecting. Great balance; I'm looking forward to the 2005 & 2006 I have in my cellar. Jess gave this a 90.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/13/2010 - GalvezGuy wrote: 93 Points
Starting to come around. Decanted for one hour. Nose of espresso, mint, cedar, black currant, mocha. On the palate, black currant, blackberry, menthol, tobacco, sour cherry, vanilla. Dry finish with smooth dusty tannins. Continued to improve throughout the night. Drink or hold. Good value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2010 - iamandyc wrote: 91 Points
Still young. Better day 2. More refined than some other vintages. Went well with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/24/2010 - calicabnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a great drinking cab, nothing like the flat, herbal, boring cabs you typically find from Chile and Argentina. Great balance of dark fruits gifing off highlights of licorice, tar and chocolate. Smooth, ripe tannins are sweet and not overly dry. Nice finish leaves you wanting for the next sip ... it's one of those wines that just "disappears" and you wonder how it went so quickly. Looking forward to moving to the 2005's next year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2010 - jan erik wrote: 93 Points
Nice one! Like a very good bottle of Amarone this is on the sweet side. Very good concentration.Way better than 2001 at the moment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2010 - rafinspace wrote: 89 Points
Not what I anticipated. Rather lean without the fruit I expect from SA. Some old worlders may apppreciate it more than I.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/6/2010 - WDK wrote: 91 Points
A nice cab, although needs lots of air. At first, it's dominated by a strong pine resin flavor, which was mostly gone by day 2. Inky red, full body, rich fruit. Not spectacular, but good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2010 - dannyk8232 wrote: 92 Points
Really delicious with a couple hours of air.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2010 - Pimenta wrote: 92 Points
Excelente vinho.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2010 - spineguy wrote: 91 Points
Great hybrid of old and new world nose and dark fruit palate. Not a finesse drink. One of my favorites with a steak. Decent finish. Great structure. Drinking well now but a food wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2010 - wmccone54 wrote: 92 Points
Very dark berry on the nose opened well after a two hour decant. Subdued flavors of berry, coffee, and cocoa. Well integrated and refined tannins, not an overpowering wine....very refined and very un-California like
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2010 - Double D wrote: 93 Points
Seems more together than a year ago. Good strong cab core, if maybe a bit medicinal but smoother than I remembered. The rest can wait another year to try again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2010 - GregGH wrote: 92 Points
#2 of 3 in cellar - getting better
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2010 - Nutty08 wrote: 90 Points
Boerne Wine Club - Cab/Chardonnay (Scenic Loop Cafe, San Antonio, TX): I continue to somewhat disappointed with this vintage. The nose has a very strong vegetal eucalyptus nose. Spicy palate, strong acidity with plenty of red fruit (cassis, currants) and lengthy finish of mocha, tar, and toast-- typical flavor profile of the Chilean cabs. Good, but the green character distracts. I certainly prefer the '03. Seemed a little more shut down than my last bottle 2 years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2010 - jsiegel wrote: 88 Points
Tannins were a little rough. Although definitely did open up with a little time in the air. A few more years in the cellar and there is definitely the structure here to get into the low 90's, but then again I could use a couple of years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2010 - NavyGrog wrote: 90 Points
Solid Cab. Smooth tannins and medium bodied. Similar in style to California cabernets.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2010 - mjsherwin68 wrote: 91 Points
I grabed this at the store for a special for my wife and I while traveling. I have one at home, and said...why not eventhough it was a little expensive.
I opened and poured this into a pitcher (no decanter) about one hour before drinking. The nose was dark fruit, leather and all cabernet. The fruit was more pronounced in the middle, with cocoa and chocolate with smooth tannis. This was very enjoyable and stood up for at least 5 hours, but not worth the $65.00 I paid for this bottle.
I guess I will let the bottle at home sit for a couple more years.
My wife pegged this at $45'ish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2010 - LeechDogg wrote: 92 Points
Muted, chicken feed, rich MF, black olive, stiff tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2010 - Joelene wrote: 92 Points
Still young, needs time. Tannic, but solid.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2010 - jonradus wrote: 92 Points
This wine is a little beastly right now. Cassis, leather, black olive, and oregano are present on the nose. The taste is mega-rich with tons of chocolate, cassis, and mouth-coating inky dark fruits. The finish is long and inspiring, yet tannic. The tannins aren't over-the-top, yet they're still grippy. I strongly feel that this wine needs to age for another 5 years minimum, and probably needs 10. I'll let my other 5 bottles sit for a while. The 92 is based on 5 years from now. In 10 years, it may reach 94-95. Right now it's more of an 89-90.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2010 - deltacop wrote: 91 Points
What a big in your face Chilean cab. Heavy flavors on a pnp. The next night it all calmed down and was actually beter. I'm going to give the others plenty of sleep or a long decant.
Enjoy!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/30/2010 - AMM3RD wrote: 91 Points
This is a nice cab., but just misses being awesome for me. Good fruit, but without some of the acidity and balance I crave. Dark cherry and dark chocolate on the palate. Drink over the next 5 years easy. This will probably improve, it it starts to show some secondary flavors that would be nice...AMM
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2010 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
strong fruity dense aroma of CS, changing taste with time. Concentrated, quality, rich, complex, very enjoyable and good value for money wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2009 - BRSAustinTex wrote: 92 Points
Roasted vegetables, tobacco, full round fruit with a bit of shiraz-like spice. Well integrated tannins and can definitely stand up to some more aging.
Update: tasted two days later after vacu-vin 1/2 bottle and it was still incredible! This one's definitely got a future!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2009 - elbosco wrote: 93 Points
Not showing much nose. Earth, blackcurrant,tobacco and wood. Tannins grip but don't overwhelm. Give it a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2009 - droady wrote: 91 Points
Excellent wine. Color was dark and earthy. The wine is still quite young with plenty of tanins. Should be at its peak in another 5-7 years. Fantastic leather and earthy taste for such a young wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2009 - Squilber wrote: 94 Points
This is what a red wine, and particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, is all about. Incredibly sublime with abundant flavors. Very smooth for such a big complex wine. Aromas just leap from the glass and overwhelm the nose. Flavors include dark fruit, cherries, chocolate, with a little oak and spice at the tail end of a nice long finish. Silky tannins are still there but have aged quite well. I highly recommend this wine, which I got for a steal at Costco for around $40.00 at the time. I can't wait to drink the 2005 vintage, which is supposed to be even better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2009 - DTWOB wrote: 92 Points
Great wine - just a little on the light side for me to consider it fantastic. All other aspects met the criteria for a 95/98 rating.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2009 - jakuda wrote:
Initially at ~55degF: Very brambly with pencil shavings aromas. Some stems in the background. Initial acids is overtaken by a lush, rich texture in the mouth. Lots of tannins coat the teeth. Some juiciness/acidity returns on the medium-long finish with some slight bitterness. After ~20min in the glass, some powdery vanilla and cherry cola aromas emerge. Alcohol level (warmth and bitterness) is a little off putting on the finish. Sadly this currently performs on par with a $18-20 bottle of Casa Lapostolle cuvee Alexandre or Montes Alpha Cabernet. Even with more bottle age, I'm not sure if the fruit, alcohol and tannins will find a happy balance.
EDIT: The day after, the wine tastes a little cleaner with some of the brambly aromas hidden (or gone) and the acids & tannins seemingly more in balance. Alcohol level still asserts itself on the nose and finish. If one were to enjoy this wine now, decant an hour ahead of time and keep the decanter in a cool ~60F location.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2009 - Solombra wrote: 96 Points
Getting better! Have been drinking through a case of this over the past two years and it continues to improve. The first bottle was shared after rehearsal dinner and was one of the favorites of the night. I do not have much experience with aged wine but this may be hitting a peak. On opening still a youthful color and aromatic nose with leather and earth notes which gave way to dark fruits 40 mins later. Changed again to peppery, vegetal and a strong green pepper notes. About half an hour later came back to the fruit elements. This had a really nice medium long, smooth finish. Drank on its own before dinner and was a fun bottle to experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2009 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
The Blind Drunks monthly tasting (Joe P's): Deep color. Opened with a sour citrus note, which dissipated fairly quickly. Following that were aromas of mocha, dark fruit, loam and plum. Nicely balanced, with flavors of plum, coffee, herbs and black fruit. There's a slightly sweet edge to the tannins. Long, balanced finish. 92-93 pts.
Decanted for an hour, allowed to breathe in bottle for another seven+ before the tasting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/5/2009 - GalvezGuy wrote: 93 Points
Decided to check in twith this wine as it has been two years. Decanted for three hours. Still very tight on a nose of mocha, mint, cedar, red and black currant. On the palate, black currant, blackberry, sour cherry, menthol, tobacco. Finish was dry with dusty tannins. This got better as the night went on. Still some upside here, will have a long life. Hold. Great value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/2/2009 - yonster24 wrote: flawed
I was very excited to try this baby as a cap to my b-day weekend. I had my brother-in-law pop this for me as I brought it to his house earlier. I walked up just as he was opening it and took a look at the cork. Wine completely leaked all the way through to the top. Heat damaged, oxidized, bleh. So I decided to drink it in the name of research. I didn't tell anyone (other than my wife) that it was damaged, but it was obvious. This was dead from the get-go. Damn.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2009 - dbkitc wrote: 89 Points
True Garnet with a hint of purple – very little bleeding. Smokey, bright fruited nose (almost confectionary). Barrel char is easily apparent. Staining attack: fruit driven with a bit of coffee mixed in. There is a roundness to the wine that almost completely covers a very tannic core. I would say that full maturity is 10 years away. Solid juice with a new world personality and old world structure. Wish I had another bottle to try in 2020. (89+)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/23/2009 - Baron Samedi wrote:
way too young - let this one rest at least 5 yrs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2009 - hkfoebee wrote:
Drank over a span of 2 nights. All I have to say was that this was DAMN good!! Everything you'd want and expect from a high priced cali cab. So why don't I buy more of these? Anyways, loved it!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2009 - cadamson wrote: 89 Points
Lost my notes and cannot really remember, which means it was not overly memorable. What a do recall was a decent, easy to drink cab. Not the greatest vintage of this, I like the years on both ends better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2009 - norsktorsk wrote: 90 Points
Still young but excellent after some air time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/21/2009 - BRSAustinTex wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 2 hrs. Nice leather and dark fruit... well integrated tannins with a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2009 - Harrypotter wrote: 90 Points
Aromatically - reminiscent of a crainza tempranillo from rioja with loads of uber ripe jammy fruit. Super sweet palate with loads of slightly spiced black jam fruit. Super smooth tannin profile and medium +density. Would not lay it down for greater than 4 years for my palate. Simple and hedonistic
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2009 - Maestro wrote: 93 Points
One of the best vintages of Don Melchor I have ever tasted. An expression of Cabernet Sauvignon of great depth, complimented by 6% of highly aromatic Cabernet Franc, make this wine a beautiful, velvety experience with créme de cassis, black pepper, dark fruit, and a touch of spices. Really very good. Drink now and in the next 10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2009 - GregGH wrote: 90 Points
drank both Don Melchor and it's $20 brother(Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha - 2006 ) - very surprised at how close both tasted... The Don Melchor has rounder softer tannins but given it is 3 times the price is a poorer QPR as one usually finds.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2009 - mye wrote: 91 Points
Dark purple.. decanted for about 30 minutes. Served slightly warmer than I would have liked. Definitely cab from Chile.. nose of blackberry, vanilla, and lots of oak. Not as aromatic as the 2005, nor is it as good on the palate. still not a bad wine. Enjoyed over an hour, and nose opened up as time went on. Seems like it would be better with a couple of more hours. 91pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2009 - grafstrb wrote: 92 Points
-- decanted for two hours before tasting --
-- tasted non-blind over 1 hour --
-- 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc --
NOSE: Expressive bouquet ofunderbrush and smoke with an element of rubber; some oak, but not overbearing; deep red fruits hiding in the shadows of this earthy bouquet.
BODY: garnet color of great depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: like its bouquet, this is very earthy on the palate: smoke, underbrush and leather; loganberry fruit and a pleasing touch of funk; healthy tannic grip; this wine has gone almost nowhere since the last bottle I had about 8 months ago. Drinks great now, but will certainly improve with time. Will I be able to keep my hands off my other couple bottles?? I really wish I would have loaded-up big-time on this wine.
B: 50, 5, 13, 16, 8 = 92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2009 - nogohawk wrote: 92 Points
Drank with Delmonicos on the grill - Decanted for 45 mins. Dark ruby color; Tannins have definitely mellowed. Opened up nicely - coffee & cocoa. Was not as BIG as I was hoping.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2009 - TannicBeast wrote: 92 Points
great but young in 2007. Full bodied with lots of black fruit but also an earthy woody backdrop reminiscent of Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2009 - mbenz wrote: 91 Points
Nice, smooth cab. Dark fruits, not too much oak. Tannins are relatively smooth. Overall, though, a little disappointing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2009 - Afa wrote: 94 Points
Powerful red which bursts in cherry flavours all over. Still very young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2009 - aveeck wrote: 94 Points
COLOR - deep red. NOSE - very serious, with much less of the tar and black fruit smells typical of a Chilean cabs from CyT. TASTE - very subtle red fruits, silky smooth, with some depth and a few tannins; this is drinking great now, and may not age as long as others from this vineyard. RATING - 94.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2009 - pupaes wrote: 92 Points
agree with most recent comments. the score of this wine, with proper aging this might rate 94.1995 vintage rocked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2009 - AMM3RD wrote: 91 Points
This is a VERY interesting wine. Strong dark nose without being sweet, maybe some florals in the background. If you like Amarone, you will love this Cab. Port like in the same way. Coats your mouth like velvet. It must have 15-20% other varietals??? Dark plums, figs, prunes, galore. Pretty one dimentional fruit flavors. Nice tannins that softened with food (cheese). Drink this with big ribeye steaks. This is the type of wine you should overpay for at a steakhouse. I'm looking for more acidity and secondary flavors than this offers, but still very good. AMM
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote: flawed
All three of my bottles of this wine were pretty much exactly the same and I am completely convinced, based on other vintages of this wine that I have had, that all three of them were somehow flawed. They were not corked but were certainly either heat damaged or oxidized.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2009 - The Wine Guy wrote: 92 Points
OPen decant, wonderful last bottle about a year ago and the year did a nice mellowing to the chewy tanins but stil plenty left this is a complex wine that never disapoints great fruit structure and smoth finish... 2/5/2008 rated 92 points: Drank on the weekend with friends, dark deep red thick color, chewey tight tanins that hide the rich complex fruit, cherry, currant, berry, chocolate, hints of tobacco, oak, and a long finish. My friends let open, even better decant awhile
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2009 - Marcyrillo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tomei no Alex Ball. Ainda fechado com pouca complexidade aromática. Elegante e de corpo médio, bem diferente do 2003 que tomei tempos atrás. Não me pareceu um grande vinho no primeiro contato. Deixarei envelhecer pra ganhar complexidade, apesar de já pronto pro copo.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2009 - skinowdrinklater wrote: 94 Points
Opened and decanted. Clearly this is a very young and closed up wine at this point in time. Color is a nice deep red, nose is of currant, dark cherry, and even some vanilla. Taste is initially somewhat closed, but with a long, smooth finish. Kept this bottle open for 2 days: the second day was much more accessible. The bottle exhibited mint, cherry, vanilla on the nose. Taste was very well balanced with good acidity and fruit, great hangtime on the finish which revealed layers and textures. Will definitely be getting more of this to see where it goes in 2-3 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/8/2009 - norsktorsk wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful nose. balanced and long lasting. a great value. probably can't have too much in stock.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2009 - Jody Smith wrote: 92 Points
What initially seemed somewhat insipid and angular, massively transformed with air. Within a couple of hours, this wine expresses itself as a refined and richly complex effort. A restrained perfume of smoke and cassis accompany a mouthful of balanced black fruit. The moderate finish exhibits distinguishing powdery tannin. Very enjoyable, and an impressive approximation of Bordeaux, however given the price escalation of recent vintages, the better value is likely in Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2008 - fjv3 wrote: 92 Points
Still a little tight. Very powerful. Dark fruits and exemplary Chilean terroir. Best days still ahead.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2008 - ews3 wrote: 90 Points
spicy, almost zinfandel spicyness. cherry, black pepper, coffee/chocolate. nice wine, and opened up with some air.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/5/2008 - winefool wrote: 87 Points
Wineflock - Cabernets from Anywhere (Ken's): Group #10, My #10 - Another really disappointing showing for this wine - I wonder why this hasn't lived up to its showing at WS since then?? Opaque deep red color. Awkward/angular spicy red fruit and coffee - a bit odd. Odd black fruit with an angular acidic quality and some coffee on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2008 - ebharrigan wrote: 94 Points
An expressive and well structure Chilean made in the Bordeaux style. There are rich thick tannins that hide beautiful nuances of cassis and dark fruit. I feel as if this wine has closed down a bit. As the tannins wane with time this should prove to be an elegant and supple wine, one that is built to age for many years. If your inventory is limited to a couple of bottles I would not touch for another 4 to 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2008 - bigdogflow wrote:
Cab Night at the Flowers' House (San Antonio, TX): Dark color,very even taste. Enjoyable. 90-92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2008 - zimmy07 wrote: 90 Points
youthful and rich wine. a tad hot with leather, tar and dark fruits. really concentrated and drank better the next afternoon
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2008 - shiraz guy wrote: 90 Points
This was a bit disappointing given my first taste some time back. Still incredibly tannic and needed a 6-7 hour decant to settle down. On night on, this was nice, but had that tinge of cherry nyquil going on in the finish. I can't stand that in wine! Otherwise, this was a lackluster wine when compared to the 2001 which I adore and even a step below the 2003 which was good. Hopefully the 2005 will being back the best of this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/13/2008 - grafstrb wrote: 92 Points
-- popped and decanted --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 hours --
-- 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc --
NOSE: initially this wine featured expressive aromas of chocolate, sweet leather and dusty blackberries; a strong vegetal streak is there too; with additional air time the bouquet opened to reveal hints of coffee, anise, and raspberry jam. This got more and more appealing the longer the bottle was open.
BODY: dark garnet color of great depth; fine particulate matter is suspended in the wine; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: initially, this wine's flavor profile mirrored it's bouqet, exhibiting sweet leather, bramble, and a hint of funk. This wine seemed to turn a corner and really blossom after being decanted for 45-60 min.: the palate fleshed out as pleasing notes of woodsy spice (cigar wrapper) came forward; this is well-balanced with a medium-length finish. There is a hole at the rear mid-palate, but I would expect this to fill-in with time. This bottle was increasingly intriguing from start to end, and its evolution in those two short hours suggests an interesting 15-20 years of life lie ahead.
B: 50, 5, 12, 16, 9 = 92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2008 - losvinhos wrote:
12 AMIGOS - 12 VINHOS (Aguzzo): Algum defeito.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2008 - losvinhos wrote:
12 AMIGOS - 12 VINHOS (Aguzzo): Excelente
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2008 - markcvino wrote: 94 Points
Purple brownish in color with green peppers on the nose. Very distinct bacon on the palate initially with very refined finish reflecting
subtle tannins which lingers. Very nice bottle of wine with value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/6/2008 - z_willus_d wrote: 91 Points
150 min. decant @58C. The color of this wine is that of a squeezed fistful of ripe blackberries - dark and brooding. On the seductive nose I get raspberry, mocha-coffee, vegetable peppers, and loamy Chilean terrior; brooding, seductive and complex like the other Don Melchors I have experienced. On first sip, this is definitely in need of more time, either in the decanter, cellar, or both. The tannins dominate here, quickly invading the mid-palate and bringing on the lengthy finish sooner than I suspect a more mature version of this would. The finish is excellent, once you squeeze past the barrage of tannins, and I love the dark raspberry fruits that appear down the back middle of my palate at this phase. Up front, there is plenty of dark chocolate and coffee in the profile, so something like a mocha espresso shot. I think once the tannins of this wine have a chance to mellow out, the entry and mid-palate will show more fruit and more of the excellent complexities hiding in this monster wine. It's showing nice transitions now, but w/ aging this will pick up polish as it shears off some of its over-evident grittiness. There's red cassis on the final sip's nose/palate. 91-92 pts. w/ major upside potential.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2008 - jbshows wrote: 94 Points
Marvelous still.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2008 - jmull wrote: 92 Points
My first Melchor, and it lived up to the hype. Decanted a half hour and consumed over the following 90 minutes. Copious amounts of coffee, mint, and plummy blackberry fruit, and some of that loamy soil thing that is so common in Chilean wines. This shows great concentration and a long, satisfying finish. Great big wine, but the tannins are surprisingly forgiving at this point. Only flaw here is the slightest hint of heat on the nose and finish, but that really is nitpicking. This is awesome stuff, and it'll probably reward future cellaring generously in the mid-term. 92+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2008 - kennyg wrote: 88 Points
Rich and somewhat tannic. Needs substantial decanting and/or more bottle time. Somewhat out of balance right now, but lots of nice elements that may come back together with more time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2008 - tvmama wrote: 94 Points
very nice cab from s. america.
dinner with a & k and h in vancouver.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2008 - sjk7 wrote: 92 Points
Strong nose with flavors of chocolate, tobacco and vanilla. Nice smooth finish. Very enjoyable wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2008 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
It is what it is and stands at the top of its class. Good quality and all the elements are in play down the the latex-rubber thing I get from upper tier Chilean Cabs. It is a personal call whether you like those elements. Not normally my thing, but it did well w/ grilled bison and mushroom-chard saute.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2008 - mmurry wrote: 87 Points
Popular Varieties from Little Known Places (Farpointe Cellar): A tight nose of raspberry and spice. The palate had spice and oak, with a raspberry finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2008 - Tarrant wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous Chilean Cab, really classy and elegant, not a bombastic example at all, nice big fruit with great grip without being over the top - Dark, almost black, well concentrated with notes of dark plum, chocolate, mocha, cedar and vanilla oak on the nose, excellent structure and complexity, yet quite approachable after a 3 hour decant, fabulously long finish (94 Points).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2008 - Caudalie wrote:
Bue dans un party chez un pote. Très bon, assez élégant, avec un côté cerise, et graphite. Droit, loin de la lourdeur caricaturale de certains chiliens.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/29/2008 - kennyg wrote: 90 Points
Not the Don Melcor I have had before, but perhaps too early in its life. Reasonable fruit with a bit too much tannin (despite 2 hour decanting) and slight vegetal finish. Full bodied and overall acceptable but not what I was hoping for at a rising price point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2008 - J2K wrote: 92 Points
Mostly same as previous notes. Still one of my favorite wines. Dark fruit, cedar, maybe coffee or tobacco. The tastes grip and linger.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: flawed
I've always loved Concha Y Toro's Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon and have had great experiences with the previous 3 vintages. I picked up 3 bottles of the 2004 last summer and this was the first I have opened. Unfortunately this bottle showed definite signs of heat damage and oxidation. Hopefully the other two are still in good shape.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/24/2008 - jhannah27 wrote: flawed
Bummer! This is a Chilean wine that I have been wanting to try for some time now, but unfortunately I think this was heat damaged or something. It tasted mostly like chewing on branches and dried leaves. Not good even on day 2.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2008 - pifcho wrote: 93 Points
Smooth, well balanced, not a fruit bomb. Had side by side with highly rated California cabs and this was hands down the winner. I have had twice and both times it was great. It has run up in price, but compared Cali cabs still a bargain.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2008 - hamiltonc wrote: 92 Points
Never disappoints. Smoother style (no fruit bomb) with great cocoa notes. Feels good in the mouth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2008 - cabrnay wrote: 92 Points
dry, but with enough fruit, very smooth, this used to be a bargain wine, but now for $64 (incl tax) it's getting up there but still a great wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2008 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
South American Wines (Rios de Sudamerica): Tight nose gives up black currant and sweet herbs with coaxing. Palate has chocolaty currant fruit, mint and herbs. Gritty tannins on the mid-palate clamp down the fruit and shorten the overall length. Good stuffing, needs time. 92+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/11/2008 - dom418 wrote: 92 Points
Popped & poured at restaurant, no detailed notes. Deep dark Color. Very fruit forward, smooth on the palate, finish lingered reasonably well, still very young. Extremely enjoyable!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2008 - Jack wrote: 92 Points
Same as 2/14 note. Had the 2003 the next night and while I still think they will be better in the long term the 2004 drink better today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 93 Points
No new notes
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 93 Points
Only new note is this time let decant for a while and the wine picked up a lot of weight with some notes of chocolate and mocha.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2008 - hcampana wrote: 94 Points
This is a great wine! Typically Chilean nose of damp earth and eucalyptus, this is deep, concentrated and long. The tannin is substantial, but very fine grained. Probably the best young Don Melchor I have tasted.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2008 - Double-A Likes this wine: 93 Points
Meaty, Asian curry, charred oak, currant and cherry liqueur nose. Big palate with warming alcohol and some graphite and earth amongst the ripe fruit flavours; brown sugar and toasty oak finish.
4.5/5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2008 - GreatLibations wrote: 90 Points
Medium dark in color with mild aromas of earth, pencil, leather, and dark berryfruit. Medium full nectar with squeaky clean tannins. Earth, blackfruit, cedar, and toasted oak marry well on a medium finish. Drink or hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2008 - deltacop wrote: 92 Points
Very nice. It absolutely needs 2 hours to breath. At first it was hitting me in a bad way. 2 hours later it was ready. It was a different Cab taste then a Cali cab, but a wonderful change.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2008 - gdm1 wrote: 93 Points
Great bottle. Liked the 2003 better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2008 - mutimir wrote: 90 Points
I've opened it, I've tasted it, my gums escaped from my mouth. Tannins needed decanting. So I've decanted Don Melchor for two and a half hours. After that BINGO! Tannins softened, and creamy, velvety structure begin to roll slowly down my tongue. The taste of chocolate, the nose of plum kicked in. It felt good. So far 95 points. But than after an hour the beauty kind of escaped from the wine. Don Melchor became ordinary Chile Cab Sav with less than 90 points. Mea Culpa I guess. I should have had the whole bottle in the first hour while the poetry was still in the glass. Anyway, drink it!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2008 - B&L wrote: 88 Points
B:Decent wine, even though the first few sips were very harsh. Settled down and was ok, but nothhing exceptional. L's reaction to the first taste was that it was appallingly bad. Maybe we drank it when it was too young. Wait a couple of years (e.g., until 2010) before drinking the next couple of bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2008 - Jack wrote: 93 Points
Opened 2 bottles and was surprised at how open and ready these were. The 03 and 01 have much more of a tannic backbone and may some day be better but today these are drinking very well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/2008 - sjk7 wrote: 93 Points
excellent. had with quail. everyone really enjoyed this wine. Most thought it was better than the 2003.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2008 - J2K wrote: 92 Points
Big, thick, chewy, great balance, strong tannins even after decanting for hours. Great wine on it's own, could sip all day. Has a lot of time to cellar also.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2008 - The Wine Guy wrote: 92 Points
Drank on the weekend with friends, dark deep red thick color, chewey tight tanins that hide the rich complex fruit, cherry, currant, berry, chocolate, hints of tobacco, oak, and a long finish. My friends let open, even better decant awhile, hold a few more years for maximum enjoyment. Another great wine from Chile.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2008 - Nutty08 wrote: 92 Points
Really didn't show well till day 2. Decanted ~2hrs on day 1, light nose of sweet black cherry, dense well structed palate, but very tight. Medium length finish, but complex. In the 90-92 range on Day 1.
Day 2 after sitting overnight in the decanter in the fridge had a much more open and forward nose, still mostly black cherry, but adds some tobacco sweetness and a hint of mint. Palate is smoother and less drying, but still well structured with dark fruit, coffee, chocolate and earth notes. Finish is medium to long, complex and delicate. Has more finesse than my average bottle, but still young. Probably won't touch my other 2 bottles for another 3yrs or so.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2008 - 16% wrote: 90 Points
In the glass, slightly translucent purples and crimsons. Medium viscosity. Nice glass hang. On the nose, subtle oak, ripe blackfruits. On the palate, integrated, fruit, acidity and tannins hum. Silky smooth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Binny's winter warm up (Binny's Highland Park, highland park IL): nose: big and broad earth driven nose. Cranberry, dark cherry, earth, pencil shavings, and some saddle leather working in here
taste: great earth driven bordeaux style mouth. Pencil shavings, earth, dark cherry, cranberry, and some saddle leather and tobacco
overall: this is great and still needs time to mature. Gorgeous earth driven cabernet with big broad flavors and leaves a very long and excellent finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2008 - GA wrote: 93 Points
1/08 Dark purple - full-bodied - blackcherry nose - intense and concentrated attack with dark chocolate coffee finish - big and bold - young but very approachable now. 93 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2008 - golfhawk wrote: 91 Points
A big wine showing alot of Black fruit and green olive. Nose has a vegetal and petrol side that dissipates over time. This should wait five more years and could last another ten.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2008 - petitblanc wrote: 87 Points
Dark, thick, rich ruby/black color. Wonderful nose of warm wood, grape, coffee, plus a hint of herbaceousness and yeast. Much lighter on the palate than the color and nose would suggest. Some wood and fruit, notable alcohol, mild tannins. Short, chalky, stemmy finish. A disappointing bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2007 - HughB wrote: 93 Points
Earthy, smokey, great finish, you want to curl up next to a fire and enjoy. This is a great wine. I was taken by all the great ratings and I didn't want that to sway me but this is really good. Tasted with 2 Cali cabs Sequoia and Mt Vedeer. A great winter pal for my Laphroaig.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2007 - chateaumiller wrote: 96 Points
EXTRAORDINARY
Decanted for an hour.
This wine just keeps impressing me to no end. EVERYONE at the table thought it was something special. The smoke and gamey notes on top of the fruit is the same with every bottle we drink.
Just beautiful!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2007 - KJL473 wrote: 94 Points
Deep purple to almost ruby in color. Nose of blackcurrant, tobacco, and coffee. Excellent balance. Smooth fine tannins. Long, enjoyable finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2007 - pgm wrote: 93 Points
Serious, smoky, tarry, earthy, meaty, briary, minty nose, that initially showed no fruit notes at all underneath all that, but later the smoky cloud parted to show a nice pure currant notes with a little cherry. In the mouth, it's just as dense and complex, with fig and tobacco, and more cabernet fruit. This was better and more distinctive than I expected. I loved it. Best bottle of Don Melchor I've had (with my experience going back five vintages now).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2007 - brewking wrote: 92 Points
smokey and earthy, with a nice mushroom taste. Not huge fruit, but still balanced. Very nice with a huge steak
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2007 - jonnyeyes wrote: 91 Points
We drank it. Big fruit up front, smooth extended finish, slight spice on the back end. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2007 - winefool wrote:
Wineflock - Wow wines (Ken's): Deep black red color. Hughe towering wet socks coffee nose with huge black alcohol fruit notes. Big hot black fruit on the palate. A bit clumsy. Not as good as I remember the last bottle I tried.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2007 - salil wrote: flawed
Blind tasting of 'Wow' wines at Ken's (Northbrook, IL): Found this nearly undrinkable - huge, clumsy and over the top with lots of caramel and oak dominating everything else. Most around the table (with more experience with this wine and prior vintages than I have) felt this was an off bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/16/2007 - ajjar wrote: 94 Points
I'm good with everyone's rating and the positive descriptions here, outstanding, no doubt this needs sleep, spectacular nose, tannic but not bitter, I'm in the well balanced camp on this one. WA's 2032 might be a stretch, and will have to go through my feeding tube at that point (and my children are so commanded), but more likely will not be left in my cellar. I'm thinking that 10 years will be beautiful, so buy a case and drink one a year!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/16/2007 - cvvhrn wrote: 91 Points
Needs alot more time. Decented for two hours and it really needs it. Inital tase was very tight and closed. Opened up over time. Hints of smoke and fruit, with hints of anise and berries on the palate. Nice finish as well. It a few years this will be fantastic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2007 - sosgoodjhu wrote: 86 Points
Good smoke and fruit on the nose, but many hard edges on the finish. This seems out of balance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2007 - jbshows wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous. Superb balance with perfect finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2007 - malan wrote: 93 Points
Had the bottle in a restaurant in Santiago (the wine costs USD 80 in Chile and is completely sold out) with a nice steak, young, but very good, will be even better in five years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2007 - joni.m.anttonen@gmail.com wrote: 89 Points
Nose: blackcurrant, earth, ripe berries, a bit spicy
Palate: full-bodied, balanced, long
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2007 - mimik wrote: 92 Points
Montreal Monster Wine Tasting @ Chez Christophe; 10/26/2007-10/27/2007: Tied for 2nd, this very minty nosed wine was very pleasantly smooth with cherries and cassis on the palate. Long finish with sweet plums. I think it was beginning to close down but still drinkable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2007 - shaneajohnson wrote: 93 Points
Nice, complex and drinkable right now, but will be better with more age. Surprisingly smooth tannins given its youth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2007 - vinaigre wrote: 92 Points
Montreal Offline: Monster wine tasting (Restaurant Chez Christophe's): Deep ruby red. Nice nose of red fruits, leather and cedar. Nice body and mouth-feel with good balance and acidity on a medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2007 - WineForRob wrote: 92 Points
Had from standard bottle this time and was a little tighter. Big mineral nose but the edges were slightly more austere than from magnum. Still a quality bottle at a good price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
WS NYWE Grand Tastings; 10/25/2007-10/26/2007 (Marriott Marquis): Big step up from the 03. Rich black fruit with some coffee notes. Lot of stuffing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/17/2007 - benny wrote: 94 Points
Double decanted. Let open for 3 hours. Had with grilled steak. Very very enjoyable. This will last a long time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2007 - hcampana wrote: 92 Points
Don Melchor vertical 1995-2004 (Monterrey, Mexico): Very dark purple. Purest fruit of all wines tasted. Ripe, exotic and attractive minty nose. Full bodied, tannic and a bit disjointed, but hinting of a great future.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2007 - WineForRob wrote: 93 Points
Had from magnum. Typical chilean nose with some minerals and red fruits. More approachable than the 03. Probably not as age worthy but very nice now. Velvety midpalate not over ripe with a strong lingering finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2007 - buddy22 wrote: 90 Points
Big mamba jamba! Opened nearly 2 hours prior to tasting. The color was deep and fantastic, immediately agreed with the bull blood reference. This young one will be a powerhouse one day, but now its full of tobacco and espresso notes that just coat your mouth upon finish. I didnt find it as overly tannic as I was expecting, but they are quite prevalent. This was a treat indeed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2007 - SBA Guru wrote: 91 Points
Nice Cab, very bold, spicy still young and tannic. Will improve wait until 2009.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/16/2007 - ZR1001 wrote: 92 Points
Very balanced wine. Loved it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2007 - chateaumiller wrote: 96 Points
EXTRAORDINARY
I opened this tonight and LOVED it. Smoke, Fruit, Gamey Venison, it's all there.
The best part....$36 at Costco...going back and buying another six pack tomorrow!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2007 - GalvezGuy wrote: 92 Points
Tighter and more densely structured that other vintages at this age. Mocha, mint, cigar box,black currant on the nose. Palate was full of black fruit, menthol, and tobacco. Dusty tannins on the finish were strong but not overwhelming. Oustanding wine, 92 now, great upside on this one. Will definitely be better than the 00, and 01, time will tell if it passes the superb 03.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2007 - grossie wrote: 89 Points
Hard to assess because it's so tight. It has that unmistakeable Chile garrigue, and I think there's a lot of fruit in there but right now there is a huge wall of tannin and a good share of acidity, making this one difficult to drink, even on the second night. If/when this mellows it might have potential to gain a few points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2007 - Hernando Andy wrote: 94 Points
Very young, very chewy, very good. Deep red color and the nose is a strong burst of dark fruits. HOT with heavy tannins right now but somehow it still manages to work great with coffee, herb, cherry and oak tones to carry it along. Bought four of these, so I hope i have the patience to wait them out because this one seems like it's about four years away from being a true powerhouse.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/15/2007 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
Balanced, deep flavors. Some tannins which mellow nicely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/13/2007 - Vinho wrote: 93 Points
Rolha perigosamente manchada; por menos de 2mm o líquido não vazou. Decantado por 2h. NM. Aromas intensos e profundos, baunilha, pimentão verde, tabaco, café, frutos negros e um traço de eucalipto só pra não negar as origens. Taninos finos, numerosos mas macios, ótima acidez, notas de cassis, pimenta e caixa de charutos. Elegante, equilibrado e longo, realmente mostra-se acessível porém com bom potencial para evoluir. Melhor Melchor de todos os tempos? 93-94+pts. E.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2007 - hifiwine wrote: 95 Points
agree, the best Don melchor I have tasted as well. better that the 00,01 both top ten spectators.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2007 - hcampana wrote: 94 Points
Had at home with 2 inch thick USDA prime NY strip.
What a great Don Melchor this is. Jay Miller is right on with his review. Typical dark ruby color that resembles bull blood. The nose offers very obvious dark fruits, but is missing the telltale Don Melchor note of wet loam and mint. What makes this wine great is definitely the palate, not the nose. Full bodied, voluptuously textured, thick and full of flavor, this wine has medium to high tannin but it is so ripe and pleasant that it becomes an asset rather than a flaw. The best Don Melchor I have ever had, and I have tasted them all except for 1991 & 1992.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2007 - bubbachumps wrote: 91 Points
Very tannic, but it has great potential. Dark fruits and mocha. This tasting note from memory. Decanted 5 hours and the wine strated to open up at the end. Put a glass back in the bottle and corked for the next day and it was still quite tannic. I believe this needs more time and will be prolilfic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2007 - jbshows wrote: 94 Points
Melchor is absolutely fabulous wine for $40. Mocha was most recognizable for me in my first taste of the 2004.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/20/2007 - keelegl wrote: 90 Points
Wow, this is a monster!! The nose is giving concentrated, sweet blueberry. Some oak and heat also coming through on the nose. Full attack on the palate of dark currant, plum and black cherry, along with some toasty oak, and again some heat. This wine is extremely tannic with a long dry finish. This wine should be put down and forgotten for at least 10 years. I’m going 90 points for its overall structure and power. It will be interesting to see how this wine evolves once the heat and tannins settle down.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/20/2007 - cormyr wrote: 95 Points
one of the best wines i have ever tasted for $40
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/15/2007 - jryoung wrote:
Decanted for 6 hours at cellar temp, dark fruit, tobacco and a hint of greeness on the nose (a good greeness), it all combined into a fresh paint aroma (again in a good way). Palate was rich and full, dark fruits coming though. I don't think I got the best look at the palate due to the rich smoky ribs we were eating, but they pair well, even with the bit of spice they had. I think I'm going to need to try another on it's own, before I decide to buy some more, but I think this is going to be a great wine in a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2007 - dannyk8232 wrote: 95 Points
Absolutely delicious and consistent with previous notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2007 - Tparodi wrote: 93 Points
Great, but young. Nice smoky tobacco and earthy notes w/lots of dark fruit ( blackberry) should get better with time as all parts will come together.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/6/2007 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
Opened and poured right into the decanter, filling the room with aromas of mocha, herbs and dark fruit. About two hours later the first glasses were poured. Inky purple color, with notes of pepper, plum, blackberry and mint along with a faint meaty note. Flavors of espresso, mint and blackberry, with firm but fine-grained tannins. Best young Melchor I've tasted, and worth opening one now before it begins to shut down.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2007 - jivey wrote: 93 Points
Soy sauce, pepper, expresso dark fruits. Fine tannins with cranberry and slight anise on the finish. Tasted these wines a number of time from 2001-04 and they are all completely different. Hope the price does not go up, good stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2007 - homersimpson wrote: 91 Points
Tasted on 7/3/07
The wine was poured into a decanter and drunk over a couple hours.
The color was a very dark purple red. It had an aroma of dirty socks, with a little extra funk I couldn't describe. That particular "funk" aroma faded after pouring into a wine glass. After breathing for several minutes, The bouquet showed Dark cherrys, mocha, and some floral characteristics on the nose.
The very first glass showed lots of up front fruits on the palate. Cherry, dark berries, current, black pepper. Being such a young wine, it was tight, and a bit acidic. Medium body, medium finish. The tannin structure will make this wine last for years to come. After the bottle was allowed to decant for an hour or so, the tannins soften up a lot. It showed improved balance with a longer finish.
Quite a delicious wine and still very young. I'll rate this wine 91-92 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2007 - goofy Yno wrote: 92 Points
soy, espresso, dark fruits. still tight with some tannins, blackberry coffee.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/8/2007 - parathesis wrote: 92 Points
Very young but lots of fruit a little funky when first opened but it went away after 20-30minutes, the tannins are showing but softly. This will be great after 2-3 years of aging. Love this stuff. I am sure the rating will rise down the road.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2007 - LPskeleton wrote: 88 Points
Green and young, drank a huge fruit bomb prior so i was probably a little biased towards the natural green elements that chile brings to the table. They seemed to dominate, and it was probably my palate.I felt this wine was very young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2007 - dannyk8232 wrote: 95 Points
3 hours in the decanter.
Really opened up after decanting. Deep, opaque purple with a small clear hue. Nose of blackberry, cherry and notes of mint. Big, refreshing red and black berries on the palate, with a burst of pepper. Very impressively balanced - this $45 wine seems to bridge the gap between pricey, balanced California cabs and their <$20 QPR impostors full of vanilla and oak. Beautiful, elegant finish lasts for a really really long time. Very smooth, mildly drying, nicely integrated tannins. This wine is very approachable now if decanting for >2 hours is a viable option, and cellarable for years to come. I am very impressed and highly recommend this wine.
40+5+5+18+18+9=95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2007 - cormyr wrote: 95 Points
although this is young, i believe it will fully rate a classic in due time. clean, precisely crafted, complex, full of ripe tannins, and beautifully balanced. one of the best of the best cabs you can get at this price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2007 - Jack wrote: 92 Points
Much more aproachable than the 03 or 01 at this stage. Pleasant but not as rich and structured. Continued to open up over a 4 hour period. On the second night this is really good and way more open than the 01 or even the 03. For the money this is a great cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/5/2007 - pitt71 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour and then consumed over 5 hours. Could pick up tobacco and cedar with creme de mint as poured into the decanter. Color was so dark almost looked black. Competelely opaque. Blackberry and currant. Full bodied big and beautiful. Another outstanding Don Melchor. Not quite up to the '03 but still outstanding. I think I will pick up 6 more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/5/2007 - shiraz guy wrote: 92 Points
Right out of the bottle, this was quite tannic and bitter. Closed up. After decanting for 3 hours, it wasn't much different. Some of the tannins settled, but this needs much more time in the bottle to develop. I do see great potential for this, and think it could reach a 95-96 in time. I won't open up another for at least 3-4 more years. As a side note, their lower priced cab is a great buy right now for $17 and very enjoyable.
So on day two - this was better, but even after 2-3 more hours of decanting still needed more time. I change my opinion and upgrade from 3-4 to 4-5 more years to settle and integrate unless you wanted to decant for 10-12 hours. Will be simply awesome in a few more years but not ready at all now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2007 - losvinhos wrote: 92 Points
Decantado por 3 horas. Ruby escuro. Aromas não muito intensos mas sólidos de cassis, café, eucalipto e um toque de especiarias. Na boca austero, bem estruturado com boa fruta, ótima acidez e taninos finos. Frutos escuros, tostado e alcaçuz e um final médio a longo com amargor bem presente. Elegante, equillibrado e com certeza vai melhorar e evoluir bem na garrafa. 92+. Excelente.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2007 - Vinho wrote: 93 Points
NM. Decantado por 3 horas. Mesmas impressões anteriores. Talvez pelo tempo de decantação e por ter sido bebido ao lado do Maximiano 03, os aromas de eucalipto ficaram menos evidentes, sobressaindo o equilíbrio, a boa acidez e o estilo mais elegante, beirando a austeridade -- embora não dê para considerá-lo um vinho austero. Tem potencial para evoluir e suportar bem o envelhecimento, mas parece ser de maturação rápida, sendo acessível desde já. 93+pts. Excelente.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2007 - spoggly wrote:
Decanted for 1 hour. Lots of fruit, long finish. Just a tremendous wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2007 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
intense blackberry and cassis. Hint of asian spice and chocolate. Dark Ruby color. Mouth: asian spice and cassis coming through a lot. Nice long finish, still tasting it a good 30 seconds later
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2007 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
slightly overhyped at this stage
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2007 - brewking wrote: 92 Points
still young, but wonderful. I will lay the others down for a bit
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/11/2006 - Vinho wrote: 93 Points
Decantado por 1h30min. Rubi escuro, límpido e brilhante. Aroma marcante de eucalípto, pimentão, cereja e pimenta do reino, com a elegância característica dos DM. Boa fruta (não sobremadura), tendendo para um vinho mais austero, acidez viva, com final médio a longo. Madeira presente, mas não agressiva, que dá ao vinho um amargor marcante. Estilo diferente do 2003, com menos fruta, menos doçura e muito mais elegante e pronto, embora seja inegavelmente um vinho na sua juventude. 93+pts. Excelente.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2005 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
Tasted from barrel during a visit to the winery.
The '04 Don Melchor had been in new French oak barrels for about 6 months. It was black/purple in colour - fully opaque; pronounced sweet oak in the aromas, with intense blackberry fruit and was beginning to open up; round, rich on the palate; full bodied; intense blackberry fruit; the oak was quite strong; finished extremely long with plenty of fruit, but the tannins persisted, even though the texture was quite velvety. It will spend another 6 months in barrel, followed by 2 years in bottle prior to release. It contains about 3% Cabernet Franc from Maipo - about 14000 case production.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment