Name: Vina Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto 2016 750ml
Brand: Vina Don Melchor
SKU: 964173
Price: 172.95 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 94.6 (5 reviews)

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Winery Vina Don Melchor

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Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon

By far and away the most recognized and widely grown red wine grape varietal in the world is the Cabernet Sauvignon. First cultivated in the 18th century in France, this wonderful cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes has long since been the most important varietal for red wines across the globe. Now grown everywhere from its native France to the furthest reaches of the New World, Cabernet Sauvignon is adored and prized by wineries for its hardiness and resistance to rot, as well as its large and sharp flavors and wonderful capability for fine aging Indeed, many of the finest wines of history and the modern age would be simply unimaginable without Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with the famed wineries of Bordeaux and other important regions using it as the primary grape in their oak aged produce. High tannin levels, acidity and powerful flavors are the characteristics most commonly associated with this varietal, however, when blended and slowly aged, it is capable of a world of flavors and aromas unmatched by any other grape.

Country Chile

Chile has a long and rich wine history which dates back to the Spanish conquistadors of the 16th century, who were the first to discover that the wonderful climate and fertile soils of this South American country were ideal for vine cultivation. It has only been in the past forty or fifty years, however, that Chile as a modern wine producing nation has really had an impact on the rest of the world. Generally relatively cheap in price,Whilst being widely regarded as definitively 'New World' as a wine producing country, Chile has actually been cultivating grapevines for wine production for over five hundred years. The Iberian conquistadors first introduced vines to Chile with which to make sacramental wines, and although these were considerably different in everything from flavor, aroma and character to the wines we associate with Chile today, the country has a long and interesting heritage when it comes to this drink. Chilean wine production as we know it first arose in the country in the mid to late 19th century, when wealthy landowners and industrialists first began planting vineyards as a way of adopting some European class and style. They quickly discovered that the hot climate, sloping mountainsides and oceanic winds provided a perfect terroir for quality wines, and many of these original estates remain today in all their grandeur and beauty, still producing the wines which made the country famous.

Region Valle Central

Chile is a fascinating country when it comes to wines and viticulture, and by far the most internationally renowned wine region in the country is the Valle Central. This expansive valley is located close to the Chilean capital of Santiago, and stretches between the Maipo Valley and Maule Valley, a long, winding fault through the mountainous regions of the country which is now almost completely covered by vineyards producing wines of exquisite character. The region itself may well be associated with the 'New World' of wines, but in actual fact, vineyards have been cultivated around the Maipo valley since the 16th century, when settlers from Europe brought vines across the ocean with which to make sacramental wines. A wide range of grape varietals thrive in the hot climate of Valle Central, from the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines the country is most famous for, to Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Carmenere.

Appellation Maipo

JS 96pts

James Suckling

The purity and reserve to this is wonderful with blackcurrants and crushed stone. Some redcurrants, as well. Full body. Polished and refined tannins give this a pleasant, caressing texture. Tight and focused. Elegance with structure. Drinkable now, but better in 2022.

WS 95pts

Wine Spectator

Complex, with crushed mineral notes to the intense dark currant, cherry tart and Christmas pudding flavors. Shows good cut midpalate, featuring a long, burnished finish of dried meat, smoke and spice.—Non-blind Don Melchor vertical (January 2020). Drink now through 2034. 7,635 cases made, 1,600 cases imported.

WNS 95pts

Wine & Spirits

Now in its thirtieth vintage, Don Melchor grew out of research by Pablo Morande, the chief winemaker at Concha y Toro when Chile was just beginning to open up to the world. He began separating blocks at the Tocornal Vineyard, on a terrace above the north side of the Maipo River, work that continued under Enrique Tirado, who took on Don Melchor in 1997 and continues to focus on it today. The wine has come from the same 324-acre vineyard since the beginning. This 2016 is among the best vintages I have tasted from those 30 years, a great Maipo cabernet with the lean structure of a marathon runner, dynamic and graceful in its structural intensity and black-currant freshness. The tannins have the clarity of cabernet rooted in river stones-but rather than the coastal gravel washes at Latour, Pichon and Las Cases in the Gironde, it’s a collection of rocks carried down the mountains by the Maipo. That terrace, tucked into the western shadow of the cold Andes, yields a delicate cabernet, even as its underlying richness of tannins builds dimension into a chord of lasting flavor.

WA 94pts

Wine Advocate

Even though it's still very young and it's not going to be released for some months, the 2016 Don Melchor shows great elegance and poise. This might be a lighter year for Don Melchor, but it has more finesse, lower alcohol (the label says 14%, when it was traditionally 14.5%) and great balance. This has a velvety texture, with very fine and round tannins and very good freshness. There are some balsamic notes, and the wine feels undeveloped, but it has the balance and stuffing to develop nicely in bottle and for a long time.

WE 93pts

Wine Enthusiast

Well-concentrated berry aromas include rich notes of chocolate, tobacco and earth on this plush yet restrained Cabernet. Spicy berry and cocoa flavors finish dry, long and with a hint of clove. Given the documented difficulties of 2016 in Chile, this can hold its head up. Drink through 2026.

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Vina Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto 2016 750ml Case of 6

Winery Vina Don Melchor

Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon

Country Chile

Region Valle Central

Appellation Maipo

James Suckling

Wine Spectator

Wine & Spirits

Wine Advocate

Wine Enthusiast

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