Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon (1.5 Liter Magnum) 1996

"The 2006 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon is a glass-coating opaque purple with an alluring bouquet of toast, tobacco, cedar, leather, mocha, and blackcurrant. Sweet, voluptuous (but not in a fruit bomb kind of way), layered, and complex already, its superb balance will ensure at least a decade of evolution and it should drink well through 2036.

Don Melchor is the flagship wine of Concha y Toro, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon cuvee that was started in 1987, making it Chile’s senior icon. I feel confident about this because the winery kindly sent along a 1993 and a 1995 Don Melchor to provide context. The 1993 (94 points) reveals the nuance of a well-aged wine but with the balance to provide pleasure for another 10-15 years. The 1995 (95 points) is a bit rounder and more elegant, also with another 10-15 years of prime drinking ahead. "

95 Points

The Wine Advocate

"A dark, muscular style, with black currant, braised fig, maduro tobacco, bittersweet cocoa and loam notes that all roll together through the dense but polished finish. There's impressive power for the vintage, along with precision and balance. Drink now through 2018."

94 Points

Wine Spectator

"The price for one of Chile's flagship wines keeps climbing, but fortunately so does the quality. Winemaker Enrique Tirado has crafted yet another pounding, saturated Cabernet. It’s wonderfully meshed yet potent and fierce. Boysenberry, cassis and kirsch flavors control the extracted palate, while the finish is warm, creamy and fun, sort of like a milkshake. At 14.5%, Melchor is at its max. Hold until 2010 and then drink through 2015."

94 Points

Wine Enthusiast

"Deep, dense purple robe. Pretty bouquet of plum, raisin and cherry. Grainy tannins on entry with loads of tar and jammy black fruit. Concentrated, powerful fruit flavors with well-integrated, maple-tinged tannins."

93 Points

The Wine News