Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Merlot Marques de Casa Concha exhibits aromas of cigar box, clove, cinnamon, plum, and mulberry followed by a ripe, sweet wine lacking the unctuosity of the Carmenere. Nevertheless, this is a full-flavored, pleasure-bent Merlot that should help restore this grape’s good name. Drink it from 2011 through 2019.
-
Wine & Spirits
A robust, lightly herbal take on merlot, this wine's flavors are ripe-similar to blackberry jam and figs-carried on a dense, chocolatey texture. A red for winter with ripe cheeses.
-
Wine Spectator
Dark and concentrated, with lots of plum and blackberry fruit, but polished and pure, with enticing vanilla bean and licorice snap notes adding length to the fleshy finish. Drink now through 2011. 34,500 cases made.
Founded in 1883, Vina Concha y Toro is Latin America's leading producer and occupies an outstanding position among the world’s most important wine companies, currently exporting to 135 countries worldwide. Uniquely, it owns around 9,500 hectares of prime vineyards, which allows the company to secure the highest quality grapes for its wine production. Concha y Toro's portfolio includes a wide range of successful brands at every price point, from the top of the range Don Melchor and Almaviva to the flagship brand Casillero del Diablo and innovative stand-alone brands such as Palo Alto and Maycas del Limarí. The company has 3,162 employees and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile.
Tied to the history of the so-called “lost grape of Bordeaux,” Carmenѐre, the story of Chilean Merlot is a fascinating one. For decades in Chile the former was actually thought to be Merlot, so the two were typically planted together and harvested at the same time. Since Merlot is an early-ripening variety and Carmenѐre much later-ripening, the resulting wines often tasted unripe and vegetal. Not until 1994 was Chilean Carmenѐre identified correctly. As awareness grew, growers and winemakers began handling both grapes more optimally, leading to significant improvement in the wines.
Today Merlot ranks as the third most planted variety in Chile, behind Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. It is mostly found in the following valley DO’s, from north to south: Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua, Curicó and Maule. It can appear both in blends or on its own. Either way, Chilean Merlot tends to show characteristic aromas and flavors of ripe plums, dark berries and herbs, often accented by oak, with a mouthfeel that is round and full.