Did not live up to my somewhat unrealistic expectations - wonderful cabernet fruit, fully integrated tannins and a pleasant finish. Lacked the "WOW" factor - hard to justify at current prices.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
For me, it was slightly over the hill. Ripe vegetable notes and herbs in the foreground, it shows some over-ripeness and I think, that it's past it's prime because of the minestrone-aromas on the palate. Drink!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Brian's party at TRATA. My first bottle of this, and it was quite enjoyable. Nice midweight cab with some herbal secondaries. I thought it was still a bit young and would be better in a few years. So pushing back my drinking window a bit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Took to a local BYOB. Dark fruit on the nose the palate was dark berries, cassis, tobacco, wood and some spice. A moderate to long finish made it an enjoyable wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP. Dark red, red tinged, 6. Clean blackcurrant dominated fruity aroma. Harmonious palate, m+T, mB, m-A, good grip with some tannin to balance the fruity blackcurrant note, fruity finish. Drink now-2030. Fine Cab S but lacking complexity
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Similar to the bottle I had a few months back. Served with our Valentines Day dinner of roasted rack of lambs in a mustard rosemary crust. Dark fruit on the nose. The palate was dark berries, cassis, tobacco, wood and some spice. A moderate to long finish made it an enjoyable wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cassis, fruit driven, liquorice, spices, tobacco, hints of oak on the nose. On the palate good acidity, grip, spicy, generous with good concentration, good length. Drink or keep. 91-93
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deeply hued ruby with a tawny tinge with medium plus optical density and low reflectivity. Aromas are strong, with plum, blueberry, crushed leaves, earthy onion skins, and wet gravel. Lots of complexity, with olives, spices, sweet tobacco, and purple fruit looming. Tons of evolution and elegance on the nose.
On the palate, rich and full bodied with medium minus acidity and resolved tannins. This leaves a texture that is concentrated and dense without being too much. Flavours of mixed blue and black fruits on the attack, with plum and blueberry that is quickly filled in by crushed tobacco, earthy vegetal notes, and spices. Quite powerful, but still elegant. Lots of earthy notes over the midpalate, which still shows fruit and garden soil. A lot of evolution here that is hard to describe, but pretty awesome and broad. Finishes with a well-knit array of red and black liquorice and leathery tobacco on top of warm fruit, with very nice length. Overall, excellent intensity and depth.
This is really awesome, and aged perfectly at this point. Resolved tannins and plenty of elegant complexity. Loads of personality and an elegant characterful wine at this point that is balanced, delicious, thoughtful, and engaging.
PnP. Dark red, red/yellow tinged, 6. Generous bouquet of blackcurrant, herbaceous, cool, Harmonious palate, mA, m+T, rather mellow, ripe dark fruit, slight sweetness in finish. Drink now-2028. Ok overseas CabS but hampered by the sweetish finish.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of fertilizer, leather, mocha, currants, plums and a hint of cigar box. Flavors of black berries, black cherries and dark plums. Medium acidity, drying tannin, full bodied. Drink now with air or continue to hold.
My guess was Cabernet Sauvignon (2), Washington (0), USA (0), 2016 (0).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dyp og tett granatrød med et lite brunlig modningsskjær langs kanten. Kraftig, modne solbær. Tydelige, men behagelige toner av fat. Sjokolade, espresso og vanilje. Kankje litt blyantspiss/grafitt, men veldig svakt. Fortsatt tørrende og tydelige, men godt integrert tanniner og god friskhet. Godt balansert!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
First of 2 from an auction lot ($63@) about 6 months ago. Opened with 1 oz taste, then let sit for an hour without decant. On the nose and palate, cedar, earth, barnyard, smoke and muted semi-sweet cherries with a slightly washed out feeling. After the hour, the cherries progressively sweetened and thickened and notes of tobacco, chocolate and cassis came in. Medium to dark purple, medium bodied, fairly thick legs. Powerful acidity which steadily integrated, medium+ silky tannins, no heat. Moderate+ complexity, moderate- persistence. Elegant, subtle and beautifully structured (though still a bit backward), this wine was wonderfully food friendly, beautifully complementing pork tenderloin in tomato sauce and spaghetti with meatballs (I suspect because, in part, the tobacco/cedar/earth notes are not unlike a Brunello). I suspect my CT friends might find this wine insufficiently vibrant and intense, not to mention it smells a bit reminiscent of your grandma's clothes closet. But for me, this wine embodies what I like about Bordeaux and even more, the Bordeaux-inflected Napa cabs. I tried this in more recent vintages for the first time at Suckling's Best of the Andes 2 years ago and again last year, and was impressed (even more so with its Chilean brethren, Clos Apalta and Almaviva, although at 2x the price). Definitely in its drinking window, but improved over 2 nights, so plenty of time left. Glad I have another bottle left and will look for additional vintages. Decant. 93+
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Day 1: Pencil lead, raspberries, spices, soy, blueberries and rose petals. Medium finish. Not a great Don Melchor at this stage. Hopefully improves on day 2 and 3. 90 points Day 2: This wine is not doing it for me and while it is not bad the price tag does not offer value. Soy, spices, blueberries, grape jam and floral notes. Medium finish. So many better wines out there for less money. 89 points Day 3: Very disappointed in this wine. Weak. Raspberries, blueberries, dust, earth and floral. Short to medium and lacks concentration. 89 points. Recommendation: Pass as this does not deliver and should be consumed sooner than later. Video: https://youtu.be/bDEHgpGP3so
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The line up: 06 Clarendon hills hickenbothen cab, 07 Clarendon hills hickenbothen syrah, 2010 pommard sebastian magnien, 2011 don Melchor cab, 1999 fontanafredda lazzarito, 07 Paolo conterno ginestra reserva, 04 ciabot berton roggeri reserva from mag. For the non barolo people, this was their wotn. Lots of cigar smoke, coffee and licorice with a bell pepper nose. Great cab for the money. 94--95
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Round and polished, it looks a bit simple. Not as good as my last bottle. Maybe because it was drunk after a superb and complex wine, but this one looks pretty much straightforward. Or maybe it is just closed right now and needs a few more years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hade inte tid att dekantera så noterna är från glas tre efter öppnad flaska i ca två timmar (INTE tillräckligt)
Djupt mörkröd i färgen.
Doftar mörkröda körsbär och kryddiga jordgubbar med timjan på. Lite fruktsötma från precis mogna blåa plommon. Lätt touch av anis.
Kraft, kryddor, frukt och tryck i munnen. Körsbär, trälåda. Strävhet. Inte så mycket nyanser tycker jag utan ganska mycket kraft och ganska mycket rakt på.
Den här blir är nog bättre om fem år och framåt. Jag tycker absolut att den är ok idag men är samtidigt inte jätteimponerad. Har några några få flaskor av tre-fyra årgångar kring 2011 men får nog låta samtliga ligga ett halvdecenium till.
89 med litet plus lite mer med lite mer tid.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank this over the course a few days and got better with time. Blueberries, pencil lead, earth and minerals. Always a solid is the Don Melchor. 92 points
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ruby garnet colour showing a garnet fade at the rim; nose offers mint leaf, cassis, currants and herbal complexity; very smooth on the palate, considerable concentration but carries itself in an elegant fashion. Similar flavours on the palate. Great balance. Good energy. A lovely cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Such a great wine! Had with a steak and it's so balanced, dark ruby in color with a dark fruit smell and a chocolate finish that lasts a long time. We enjoyed it more without food as it's has such a great taste!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark ruby. Nose of dark fruit, oak. Much better balance than my last sample which had lots of heat and extraction. This one is good yet aromatically rather commercial / foresquare. Decent CabSav but a Flagship wine?
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured first glass, big mistake. Closed, acidic, with overpowering tannins and very tart notes of black cherry and boysenberry. Decided to come back later after a 2 hour decant and I was rewarded for my patience. The wine reluctantly opened up to a Chilean version of a classic Bordeaux. Fine tannins, massive finish, a touch of sweetness with evolving notes of cherry, dark chocolate and earth flavors. This wine is still very young, but with a proper decant and some restraint, this vintage won't disappoint.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
i dont drink many chilean wines but this is by far my favourite. super smooth and loads of fruit with no sign of being overcooked. i would say, i like it more than most Cally cabs
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Reluctantly, I consume one of these two beauties I have, on CellarTracker. This bottle truly exemplifies an example of walking the line of new world and old. Strong show of terroir, but fruit as well. Juicy and powerful, but restrained the same. Really a quality bottling. Totally in the window right now. My 94 may be conservative. Cheers
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
For ung. Kraftig i smagen, men ikke alkoholtung eller kantet, bare tung. Vent minimum 5 år. Varm, men ikke så varm som chilevinene kan være. Kunne sagtens være bordeaux fra en varm årgang og moderne producent. Jeg er mere til oldschool. Flot kompleksitet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Herskyvän marjaisa mustaherukan maku. Yllättävän vähä-tanniininen, mutta silti rakennetta hapokkuuden johdosta. Täyteläinen ja täydellinen grilliviini. Ei vihreitä aromeja, kuten jotkut ehdottavat - oikea aika juoda on nyt, tuskin paranee merkittävästi tästä. Tyylikäs tammi kyllä tässä chileläisessä.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Happy Birthday Kevin! (Kevin and Vicki's House): Slow o'd 20 hours or so. Rich and green. This drank better as a pop and pour 1.5 years ago. At this stage, I think you've got to wait these out until they turn the corner, at least 5 years, probably longer. Which is too bad, because I've been tempted to open one lately. I was very happy to drink someone else's bottle of this, but clearly too young.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Wednesday Wine Lunch with Some Oomph (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Twevle hours of slow-O; drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Big dark fruit, green and herbaceous today, more than i recall from an earlier bottle, chocolate, glycerin, blackberry liqueur, kir. Much better with creamy blue cheese. This also needs some time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Kevin's (Rocknroller) Birthday Bash: Nose: Lots of green pepper initially with dark fruits showing afterwards. Palate: Dark fruited with assorted spices and a peppery note. Very young but well made. 91+ points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted one hour. Great nose of red and black currant with a nice whack of menthol. On the palate lush with red currants, black cherry, hints of bell pepper. Nice balanced finish, not a lot of grip. Very much like the 03 at the same age. Drink with a short decant or hold.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank with dinner at J&J's seafood in Delray Beach. PNP first glass and decanted the rest. Deep purple. Nose of blueberries, blackberries, dark plum and carnations. Fruit forward but with medium to high acidity and some allspice on the finish. Low to medium tannins but good overall balance. No jaminess. Smooth with a long finish. Likely to improve for years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
"Carne Vino" (1700 Degrees): An elegant wine but with a little brashness. Red fruit is predominate with minerality which moves to a smooth mid palate. The finish is on the long side. It hasn't reached the same place as the 2000 was a couple of years ago, and honestly I don't think it will be. But that is okay.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep and saturated red with very high optical density and medium reflectivity. Intense nose with good complexity, showing cedar, cassis and fig, onion peel, and some light underlying aromas of cherry and blueberry. Full bodied and dense on the palate, with medium acidity and medium intensity tannins that are fine grained, providing a lush texture. On the attack there are complex flavours of rich and densely packed mixed berry fruit, plum, cedar box filled with fresh tobacco, and some earthy vegetables. There is a very full midpalate, with some spices adding to the huge flavour intensity. There is also a shift toward aromatic forest meadow at the final transition to the rich and smokey finish, which has a mineral and baked pie flourish, and lingers for a very long time.
This is a bold and complex wine that also stays polished and under control. There are many layers and a dense overlay of complex tones to discover here. Dark and brooding yet not overwhelming the palate. This is certainly easy to drink for being so enjoyable, but is also a great partner for food. Outstanding wine, and is drinking very well now, but may improve in the cellar. Nice! 94-
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cabernet Sauvignon 99%, Cabernet Franc 1%. Opened, let it breathe an hour and drank next day. Dense crimson, medium plus to full bodied. Expressive nose of sweet raspberry, black currant and other dark fruits, a little chocolate, licorice, burnt orange peel, and oak. Very smooth and rich. Similar palate and one of the sweetest red wines. Sweet, fruity, full, well incorporated oak, mocha, just a little touch of milk. Everything is well in harmony. Amazingly fragrant in Gabriel-Glas. Drinking very well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank in preparation for Hurricane Matthew. Big wine. Took an extra day to cool off and loosen up. Once that happened, great things from this wine. Typical Cabernet flavors: Red and black fruits; spice; oak; licorice; and meat. This would cost much more if from California. This can age several more years. If you open now, decanting is a must.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Extracted and almost fully opaque blackish-red color. Relatively closed nose with somewhat understated aromas of ripe blackcurrants, some juicy dark fruits, a little bit of minty herbal greenness and a surprisingly light hint of restrained, savory oak spice. The wine is full-bodied, dense and chewy on the palate with extracted flavors of fresh blackcurrants, sweeter blackberry marmalade tones, peppery spice, quite pronounced toasty oak and some toffee tones, a little bit of chocolatey character, light spicy tones of christmas spices and cloves, a hint of plummy fruit and light notes of herbal minty greenness. The structure relies mostly on the density and grip of the tannins, as the wine is rather modest in acidity, making the wine feel quite ponderous and heavy, lacking some necessary freshness. However, I like that even though the fruit feels ripe here, the wine never feels overripe or dull. The finish is rich, long and quite oaky with somewhat noticeable alcohol warmth along with flavors of chocolatey oak, ripe blackcurrants, some plummy fruits, light toffee tones, a hint of blackberry marmalade and light mocha character.
This is a wine that I hear so much praise about, yet which manages to disappoint vintage after another. Sure, the wine is big and extracted with firm tannins and in-you-face fruit, but the overall style is ponderous, over-oaked and lacking in acidity vital to a good wine. The wine shows a bit less ripeness and more restraint (which is a good thing) compared to the previous vintages, but the overall style is still simply too ponderous, overdone and lacking in freshness. I can imagine the wine will continue to develop from here, but I doubt the wine will ever be anything for my taste. I just don't understand this heavily oaked, super-ripe blockbuster style of Chile.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The nose was dark and earthy with rich black fruits, graphite, hints of animal musk, citrus peel and fresh herbs. On the palate, I found broad and silky textures with tart cherry contrasted by sweet spice, smoke, and minerals. It was wonderfully refined and balanced with zesty acidity. The long and saturating finished displayed tart black fruit, with grippy tannin and zippy acidity. This is beautifully balanced, elegant and already starting to drink well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Puente Alto Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, tasted at Oinoscent via Coravin. The wine shows thick dense nose, filled with black fruit, blackcurrant, oaky but not too aggressive, smoke notes, mint and chocolate hints. In the palate, the wine follows the same pattern, smoke, med+ body and intensity, full black currant and cherry, med to long finish. Outstanding quality, drink now but could also hold for a long time
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank this is Grand Cayman 2 nights in a row. Very dark, inky, teeth staining, and full bodied. Toffee, cola, coffee, black pepper, blackberry jam, and just a hint of green tea in the mid palette to lower the score. Not as good as the 2010 is right now but in a few years I believe this will be very very good. Not completely ready yet.
Argentina & Chile: Vibrant purple color. Rich but compact aromatics, it takes time to coax out the nuances. But still tons to contemplate: chewy black cherries, red and black currants, blackberries… lots of non-fruit complexity: woodsy, earthy, loamy aspects, creamy oak, rich coffee, graphite and iron. Full-bodied with a ton of grip to the tannins but some moderate acid underneath seals the deal and makes this a wonderfully balanced and stunningly ageworthy wine. Compact blackberry, black currants, black cherries – rich fruit but tight and needs time. Tons of other savory, earthy and sweet aspects: loam, chewing tobacco, espresso, mint, vanilla, cedar, graphite, dark chocolate. Complex but wound up, the structure will allow 10-15 years of complex aging, at least. Alcohol (14.5%) is integrated well and, despite its brawniness, I feel confident using the word balance. Aged 15 months in 70% new French oak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very deep colour - totally opaque. Expressive nose. Excellent sweet cabernet fruit with great balance. A little toffee on the nose later. Amazingly approachable after ca. 2h even though it needs at least a decade to begin to show its best. Tasted with Ben Smith of Concha y Toro UK at Grand Union Wine Society.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hennepin Lake Tasting (Uptown): Four small pours at a tasting, because it was my WOTN. I was shocked that this youngster was drinking so well. I enjoyed it only slightly less than the same wines with 10 more years age. Gorgeous fruit, savory, some vegetal qualities including green bell pepper. After the bottle had been opened for a while, the vegetation began to increase, but it was still very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hennepin Lake Charity Tasting Event - Current Releases (Mpls, MN): Tasting pour x 2. I had this twice, once after just opened and then again about half way through the bottle an hour later. This was surprising open from the start. Very nice with earthiness, refined spices, graphite, and very nice dark red fruits. Was slightly better on the second pour. I suspect that this will shut down soon though based on previous experience. But it sure drinks nicely right now. 92+ to 93pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classic Don Melchor. I'm feeling like it is not quite as strong as the 2010, but that is probably splitting hairs that my taste buds just ain't qualified to split. Nice fruit, with chocolate and nice hints of smoke. Dark. Long finish. I would hold for another couple of years, but definitely drinkable now.
Served blind. Medium-dark purple. Expressive nose with lots of chocolate, vanilla, oak, ripe dark fruit. Nobody guessed Cabernet Sauvignon initially, too fruity and too modern. On the palate sweet and a bit flabby. Really not my style of a CabSav. This is a flagship wine of the Concha y torro stable, so try for yourself. 88-91 depending of your liking of this style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine dinner (Singapore): Dark garnet with thin transparent rim, chocolate, blueberry, some card board, heat on the palate, tannins almost entirely covered (apparently 5h decant). Medium length. I guessed 2011/2012 Aussie Shiraz with quite some confidence... and this is where I would look if I felt like drinking a wine with blueberry and chocolate aromatics. No need to do this with Cabernet Sauvignon.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/16/2024 - oldcabman Likes this wine: 90 Points
Did not live up to my somewhat unrealistic expectations - wonderful cabernet fruit, fully integrated tannins and a pleasant finish.
Lacked the "WOW" factor - hard to justify at current prices.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/8/2024 - Chrysostomus Likes this wine: 91 Points
For me, it was slightly over the hill. Ripe vegetable notes and herbs in the foreground, it shows some over-ripeness and I think, that it's past it's prime because of the minestrone-aromas on the palate. Drink!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2023 - SpoochMan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brian's party at TRATA. My first bottle of this, and it was quite enjoyable. Nice midweight cab with some herbal secondaries. I thought it was still a bit young and would be better in a few years. So pushing back my drinking window a bit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/15/2023 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Took to a local BYOB. Dark fruit on the nose the palate was dark berries, cassis, tobacco, wood and some spice. A moderate to long finish made it an enjoyable wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2023 - Big Ted Red Likes this wine: 93 Points
Surprisingly fresh, even young. Definitely a New World Cab. I might have guessed Washington State blind.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2023 - asgerG wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Dark red, red tinged, 6. Clean blackcurrant dominated fruity aroma. Harmonious palate, m+T, mB, m-A, good grip with some tannin to balance the fruity blackcurrant note, fruity finish. Drink now-2030. Fine Cab S but lacking complexity
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2023 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar to the bottle I had a few months back. Served with our Valentines Day dinner of roasted rack of lambs in a mustard rosemary crust. Dark fruit on the nose. The palate was dark berries, cassis, tobacco, wood and some spice. A moderate to long finish made it an enjoyable wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/17/2022 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark fruit on the nose. The palate was dark berries, cassis, tobacco, wood and some spice. A moderate to long finish made it an enjoyable wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2022 - filipanadian wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Repoured in bottles. Slow ox 1 hour.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2022 - HG123 wrote: 92 Points
Superb - a big wine with lovely depth of dark fruit and well integrated tannins
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2022 - om42 Likes this wine: 93 Points
At the apex??
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2021 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Cassis, fruit driven, liquorice, spices, tobacco, hints of oak on the nose. On the palate good acidity, grip, spicy, generous with good concentration, good length. Drink or keep. 91-93
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2021 - JFLP wrote:
Better than a 2005 Don Melchor which we drank side bu side
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/16/2021 - bularry Likes this wine: 93 Points
In a great drinking window right now
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2021 - jmcmchi Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted one hour
Beautiful restrained aromas ofblackberries and earth
Smooth on palate, tannins integrated, very clean fruit and smoke. Long and silky, a delight
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2021 - Drewmic Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful, smooth, structured with excellent black fruit notes
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2021 - ajbergren wrote: 94 Points
Deeply hued ruby with a tawny tinge with medium plus optical density and low reflectivity. Aromas are strong, with plum, blueberry, crushed leaves, earthy onion skins, and wet gravel. Lots of complexity, with olives, spices, sweet tobacco, and purple fruit looming. Tons of evolution and elegance on the nose.
On the palate, rich and full bodied with medium minus acidity and resolved tannins. This leaves a texture that is concentrated and dense without being too much. Flavours of mixed blue and black fruits on the attack, with plum and blueberry that is quickly filled in by crushed tobacco, earthy vegetal notes, and spices. Quite powerful, but still elegant. Lots of earthy notes over the midpalate, which still shows fruit and garden soil. A lot of evolution here that is hard to describe, but pretty awesome and broad. Finishes with a well-knit array of red and black liquorice and leathery tobacco on top of warm fruit, with very nice length. Overall, excellent intensity and depth.
This is really awesome, and aged perfectly at this point. Resolved tannins and plenty of elegant complexity. Loads of personality and an elegant characterful wine at this point that is balanced, delicious, thoughtful, and engaging.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
2/12/2021 - asgerG wrote: 89 Points
PnP. Dark red, red/yellow tinged, 6. Generous bouquet of blackcurrant, herbaceous, cool,
Harmonious palate, mA, m+T, rather mellow, ripe dark fruit, slight sweetness in finish. Drink now-2028. Ok overseas CabS but hampered by the sweetish finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
1/29/2021 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
WIML92
Tasted double blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of fertilizer, leather, mocha, currants, plums and a hint of cigar box. Flavors of black berries, black cherries and dark plums. Medium acidity, drying tannin, full bodied. Drink now with air or continue to hold.
My guess was Cabernet Sauvignon (2), Washington (0), USA (0), 2016 (0).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2020 - _Alex_ Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dyp og tett granatrød med et lite brunlig modningsskjær langs kanten. Kraftig, modne solbær. Tydelige, men behagelige toner av fat. Sjokolade, espresso og vanilje. Kankje litt blyantspiss/grafitt, men veldig svakt. Fortsatt tørrende og tydelige, men godt integrert tanniner og god friskhet. Godt balansert!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2020 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
First of 2 from an auction lot ($63@) about 6 months ago. Opened with 1 oz taste, then let sit for an hour without decant. On the nose and palate, cedar, earth, barnyard, smoke and muted semi-sweet cherries with a slightly washed out feeling. After the hour, the cherries progressively sweetened and thickened and notes of tobacco, chocolate and cassis came in. Medium to dark purple, medium bodied, fairly thick legs. Powerful acidity which steadily integrated, medium+ silky tannins, no heat. Moderate+ complexity, moderate- persistence. Elegant, subtle and beautifully structured (though still a bit backward), this wine was wonderfully food friendly, beautifully complementing pork tenderloin in tomato sauce and spaghetti with meatballs (I suspect because, in part, the tobacco/cedar/earth notes are not unlike a Brunello). I suspect my CT friends might find this wine insufficiently vibrant and intense, not to mention it smells a bit reminiscent of your grandma's clothes closet. But for me, this wine embodies what I like about Bordeaux and even more, the Bordeaux-inflected Napa cabs. I tried this in more recent vintages for the first time at Suckling's Best of the Andes 2 years ago and again last year, and was impressed (even more so with its Chilean brethren, Clos Apalta and Almaviva, although at 2x the price). Definitely in its drinking window, but improved over 2 nights, so plenty of time left. Glad I have another bottle left and will look for additional vintages. Decant. 93+
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2020 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 90 Points
Day 1: Pencil lead, raspberries, spices, soy, blueberries and rose petals. Medium finish. Not a great Don Melchor at this stage. Hopefully improves on day 2 and 3. 90 points
Day 2: This wine is not doing it for me and while it is not bad the price tag does not offer value. Soy, spices, blueberries, grape jam and floral notes. Medium finish. So many better wines out there for less money. 89 points
Day 3: Very disappointed in this wine. Weak. Raspberries, blueberries, dust, earth and floral. Short to medium and lacks concentration. 89 points.
Recommendation: Pass as this does not deliver and should be consumed sooner than later.
Video: https://youtu.be/bDEHgpGP3so
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2019 - Trydebull Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mörkt violett
Noter från dag två med ca 60% i flaskan - kylförvarad över natten.
Doftar fantastiskt. Superfin Cab S.
Kommer att växa än mer 91++
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2019 - americanstorm Likes this wine: 94 Points
The line up: 06 Clarendon hills hickenbothen cab, 07 Clarendon hills hickenbothen syrah, 2010 pommard sebastian magnien, 2011 don Melchor cab, 1999 fontanafredda lazzarito, 07 Paolo conterno ginestra reserva, 04 ciabot berton roggeri reserva from mag. For the non barolo people, this was their wotn. Lots of cigar smoke, coffee and licorice with a bell pepper nose. Great cab for the money. 94--95
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2019 - Marcosuru wrote: 91 Points
Round and polished, it looks a bit simple. Not as good as my last bottle. Maybe because it was drunk after a superb and complex wine, but this one looks pretty much straightforward. Or maybe it is just closed right now and needs a few more years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2018 - Trydebull Likes this wine: 89 Points
Hade inte tid att dekantera så noterna är från glas tre efter öppnad flaska i ca två timmar (INTE tillräckligt)
Djupt mörkröd i färgen.
Doftar mörkröda körsbär och kryddiga jordgubbar med timjan på. Lite fruktsötma från precis mogna blåa plommon. Lätt touch av anis.
Kraft, kryddor, frukt och tryck i munnen. Körsbär, trälåda. Strävhet. Inte så mycket nyanser tycker jag utan ganska mycket kraft och ganska mycket rakt på.
Den här blir är nog bättre om fem år och framåt. Jag tycker absolut att den är ok idag men är samtidigt inte jätteimponerad. Har några några få flaskor av tre-fyra årgångar kring 2011 men får nog låta samtliga ligga ett halvdecenium till.
89 med litet plus lite mer med lite mer tid.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2018 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Drank this over the course a few days and got better with time. Blueberries, pencil lead, earth and minerals. Always a solid is the Don Melchor. 92 points
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2018 - vespasian wrote:
Ruby garnet colour showing a garnet fade at the rim; nose offers mint leaf, cassis, currants and herbal complexity; very smooth on the palate, considerable concentration but carries itself in an elegant fashion. Similar flavours on the palate. Great balance. Good energy. A lovely cab.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2018 - AEROSS Likes this wine: 95 Points
Such a great wine! Had with a steak and it's so balanced, dark ruby in color with a dark fruit smell and a chocolate finish that lasts a long time. We enjoyed it more without food as it's has such a great taste!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2018 - ezsobre Does not like this wine:
Disappointed. Was disjointed and the 1% cab franc was way overrepresentative. Too oaky for my tastes as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (5)
12/27/2017 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby. Nose of dark fruit, oak. Much better balance than my last sample which had lots of heat and extraction. This one is good yet aromatically rather commercial / foresquare. Decent CabSav but a Flagship wine?
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2017 - TXRDW wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured first glass, big mistake. Closed, acidic, with overpowering tannins and very tart notes of black cherry and boysenberry. Decided to come back later after a 2 hour decant and I was rewarded for my patience. The wine reluctantly opened up to a Chilean version of a classic Bordeaux. Fine tannins, massive finish, a touch of sweetness with evolving notes of cherry, dark chocolate and earth flavors. This wine is still very young, but with a proper decant and some restraint, this vintage won't disappoint.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/7/2017 - clarktoews Likes this wine: 93 Points
i dont drink many chilean wines but this is by far my favourite. super smooth and loads of fruit with no sign of being overcooked. i would say, i like it more than most Cally cabs
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2017 - Wine G Likes this wine: 94 Points
Reluctantly, I consume one of these two beauties I have, on CellarTracker. This bottle truly exemplifies an example of walking the line of new world and old. Strong show of terroir, but fruit as well. Juicy and powerful, but restrained the same. Really a quality bottling. Totally in the window right now. My 94 may be conservative. Cheers
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2017 - Mads Eriksen wrote: 92 Points
For ung. Kraftig i smagen, men ikke alkoholtung eller kantet, bare tung. Vent minimum 5 år. Varm, men ikke så varm som chilevinene kan være. Kunne sagtens være bordeaux fra en varm årgang og moderne producent. Jeg er mere til oldschool. Flot kompleksitet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2017 - AJG91 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Herskyvän marjaisa mustaherukan maku. Yllättävän vähä-tanniininen, mutta silti rakennetta hapokkuuden johdosta. Täyteläinen ja täydellinen grilliviini. Ei vihreitä aromeja, kuten jotkut ehdottavat - oikea aika juoda on nyt, tuskin paranee merkittävästi tästä. Tyylikäs tammi kyllä tässä chileläisessä.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/11/2017 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
Happy Birthday Kevin! (Kevin and Vicki's House): Slow o'd 20 hours or so. Rich and green. This drank better as a pop and pour 1.5 years ago. At this stage, I think you've got to wait these out until they turn the corner, at least 5 years, probably longer. Which is too bad, because I've been tempted to open one lately. I was very happy to drink someone else's bottle of this, but clearly too young.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
A Wednesday Wine Lunch with Some Oomph (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Twevle hours of slow-O; drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Big dark fruit, green and herbaceous today, more than i recall from an earlier bottle, chocolate, glycerin, blackberry liqueur, kir. Much better with creamy blue cheese. This also needs some time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2017 - Mattshank wrote: 91 Points
Kevin's (Rocknroller) Birthday Bash: Nose: Lots of green pepper initially with dark fruits showing afterwards. Palate: Dark fruited with assorted spices and a peppery note. Very young but well made. 91+ points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2017 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted one hour. Great nose of red and black currant with a nice whack of menthol. On the palate lush with red currants, black cherry, hints of bell pepper. Nice balanced finish, not a lot of grip. Very much like the 03 at the same age. Drink with a short decant or hold.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2017 - RockyII Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank with dinner at J&J's seafood in Delray Beach. PNP first glass and decanted the rest. Deep purple. Nose of blueberries, blackberries, dark plum and carnations. Fruit forward but with medium to high acidity and some allspice on the finish. Low to medium tannins but good overall balance. No jaminess. Smooth with a long finish. Likely to improve for years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2017 - JS1056 wrote: 91 Points
"Carne Vino" (1700 Degrees): An elegant wine but with a little brashness.
Red fruit is predominate with minerality which moves to a smooth mid palate. The finish is on the long side.
It hasn't reached the same place as the 2000 was a couple of years ago, and honestly I don't think it will be. But that is okay.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2016 - BrionHammond wrote: 92 Points
Exotic nose. Sunny and warm kind a nose. Combo of leather and cigarbox. Thick, juicy palate with a nice round finish. Medium acid.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2016 - ajbergren wrote: 94 Points
Deep and saturated red with very high optical density and medium reflectivity. Intense nose with good complexity, showing cedar, cassis and fig, onion peel, and some light underlying aromas of cherry and blueberry. Full bodied and dense on the palate, with medium acidity and medium intensity tannins that are fine grained, providing a lush texture. On the attack there are complex flavours of rich and densely packed mixed berry fruit, plum, cedar box filled with fresh tobacco, and some earthy vegetables. There is a very full midpalate, with some spices adding to the huge flavour intensity. There is also a shift toward aromatic forest meadow at the final transition to the rich and smokey finish, which has a mineral and baked pie flourish, and lingers for a very long time.
This is a bold and complex wine that also stays polished and under control. There are many layers and a dense overlay of complex tones to discover here. Dark and brooding yet not overwhelming the palate. This is certainly easy to drink for being so enjoyable, but is also a great partner for food. Outstanding wine, and is drinking very well now, but may improve in the cellar. Nice! 94-
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2016 - fotomill Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cabernet Sauvignon 99%, Cabernet Franc 1%. Opened, let it breathe an hour and drank next day. Dense crimson, medium plus to full bodied. Expressive nose of sweet raspberry, black currant and other dark fruits, a little chocolate, licorice, burnt orange peel, and oak. Very smooth and rich. Similar palate and one of the sweetest red wines. Sweet, fruity, full, well incorporated oak, mocha, just a little touch of milk. Everything is well in harmony. Amazingly fragrant in Gabriel-Glas. Drinking very well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2016 - Loekkeboe wrote: 93 Points
Very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/2016 - Squilber Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank in preparation for Hurricane Matthew. Big wine. Took an extra day to cool off and loosen up. Once that happened, great things from this wine. Typical Cabernet flavors: Red and black fruits; spice; oak; licorice; and meat. This would cost much more if from California. This can age several more years. If you open now, decanting is a must.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2016 - forceberry wrote: 86 Points
Extracted and almost fully opaque blackish-red color. Relatively closed nose with somewhat understated aromas of ripe blackcurrants, some juicy dark fruits, a little bit of minty herbal greenness and a surprisingly light hint of restrained, savory oak spice. The wine is full-bodied, dense and chewy on the palate with extracted flavors of fresh blackcurrants, sweeter blackberry marmalade tones, peppery spice, quite pronounced toasty oak and some toffee tones, a little bit of chocolatey character, light spicy tones of christmas spices and cloves, a hint of plummy fruit and light notes of herbal minty greenness. The structure relies mostly on the density and grip of the tannins, as the wine is rather modest in acidity, making the wine feel quite ponderous and heavy, lacking some necessary freshness. However, I like that even though the fruit feels ripe here, the wine never feels overripe or dull. The finish is rich, long and quite oaky with somewhat noticeable alcohol warmth along with flavors of chocolatey oak, ripe blackcurrants, some plummy fruits, light toffee tones, a hint of blackberry marmalade and light mocha character.
This is a wine that I hear so much praise about, yet which manages to disappoint vintage after another. Sure, the wine is big and extracted with firm tannins and in-you-face fruit, but the overall style is ponderous, over-oaked and lacking in acidity vital to a good wine. The wine shows a bit less ripeness and more restraint (which is a good thing) compared to the previous vintages, but the overall style is still simply too ponderous, overdone and lacking in freshness. I can imagine the wine will continue to develop from here, but I doubt the wine will ever be anything for my taste. I just don't understand this heavily oaked, super-ripe blockbuster style of Chile.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/23/2016 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose was dark and earthy with rich black fruits, graphite, hints of animal musk, citrus peel and fresh herbs. On the palate, I found broad and silky textures with tart cherry contrasted by sweet spice, smoke, and minerals. It was wonderfully refined and balanced with zesty acidity. The long and saturating finished displayed tart black fruit, with grippy tannin and zippy acidity. This is beautifully balanced, elegant and already starting to drink well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/17/2016 - Marcosuru Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gorgeous! Still a baby but gorgeous. I hope I have the patience to wait long enough to get its prime
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/28/2016 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Puente Alto Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, tasted at Oinoscent via Coravin.
The wine shows thick dense nose, filled with black fruit, blackcurrant, oaky but not too aggressive, smoke notes, mint and chocolate hints.
In the palate, the wine follows the same pattern, smoke, med+ body and intensity, full black currant and cherry, med to long finish.
Outstanding quality, drink now but could also hold for a long time
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2016 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank this is Grand Cayman 2 nights in a row. Very dark, inky, teeth staining, and full bodied. Toffee, cola, coffee, black pepper, blackberry jam, and just a hint of green tea in the mid palette to lower the score. Not as good as the 2010 is right now but in a few years I believe this will be very very good. Not completely ready yet.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
1/30/2016 - AAJR Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted. Earthy and fruity nose. Wine was full of dark fruit favors but was a little tight/grippy - IMO needs more time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2015 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 94 Points
Argentina & Chile: Vibrant purple color. Rich but compact aromatics, it takes time to coax out the nuances. But still tons to contemplate: chewy black cherries, red and black currants, blackberries… lots of non-fruit complexity: woodsy, earthy, loamy aspects, creamy oak, rich coffee, graphite and iron. Full-bodied with a ton of grip to the tannins but some moderate acid underneath seals the deal and makes this a wonderfully balanced and stunningly ageworthy wine. Compact blackberry, black currants, black cherries – rich fruit but tight and needs time. Tons of other savory, earthy and sweet aspects: loam, chewing tobacco, espresso, mint, vanilla, cedar, graphite, dark chocolate. Complex but wound up, the structure will allow 10-15 years of complex aging, at least. Alcohol (14.5%) is integrated well and, despite its brawniness, I feel confident using the word balance. Aged 15 months in 70% new French oak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2015 - johnrm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very deep colour - totally opaque. Expressive nose. Excellent sweet cabernet fruit with great balance. A little toffee on the nose later. Amazingly approachable after ca. 2h even though it needs at least a decade to begin to show its best.
Tasted with Ben Smith of Concha y Toro UK at Grand Union Wine Society.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/30/2015 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Hennepin Lake Tasting (Uptown): Four small pours at a tasting, because it was my WOTN. I was shocked that this youngster was drinking so well. I enjoyed it only slightly less than the same wines with 10 more years age. Gorgeous fruit, savory, some vegetal qualities including green bell pepper. After the bottle had been opened for a while, the vegetation began to increase, but it was still very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Hennepin Lake Charity Tasting Event - Current Releases (Mpls, MN): Tasting pour x 2. I had this twice, once after just opened and then again about half way through the bottle an hour later. This was surprising open from the start. Very nice with earthiness, refined spices, graphite, and very nice dark red fruits. Was slightly better on the second pour. I suspect that this will shut down soon though based on previous experience. But it sure drinks nicely right now. 92+ to 93pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2015 - geppetto Likes this wine: 94 Points
Classic Don Melchor. I'm feeling like it is not quite as strong as the 2010, but that is probably splitting hairs that my taste buds just ain't qualified to split. Nice fruit, with chocolate and nice hints of smoke. Dark. Long finish. I would hold for another couple of years, but definitely drinkable now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
8/15/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 88 Points
Served blind. Medium-dark purple. Expressive nose with lots of chocolate, vanilla, oak, ripe dark fruit. Nobody guessed Cabernet Sauvignon initially, too fruity and too modern. On the palate sweet and a bit flabby. Really not my style of a CabSav. This is a flagship wine of the Concha y torro stable, so try for yourself. 88-91 depending of your liking of this style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/15/2015 - pavel_p Does not like this wine: 89 Points
Wine dinner (Singapore): Dark garnet with thin transparent rim, chocolate, blueberry, some card board, heat on the palate, tannins almost entirely covered (apparently 5h decant). Medium length. I guessed 2011/2012 Aussie Shiraz with quite some confidence... and this is where I would look if I felt like drinking a wine with blueberry and chocolate aromatics. No need to do this with Cabernet Sauvignon.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment