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My Rating (circle) :
Date Printed: 1/9/2009
(search item no. 89855)
collectible wine
The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
The Wine News rating: 94 points
PRICE ON 1/9/2009: $54.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2005 Wine Spectator rating: 96 points
2005 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
2005 Wine Enthusiast rating: 93 points
2005 Wine & Spirits rating: 91 points
2003 Wine Spectator rating: 96 points
2003 The Wine Advocate rating: 93 points
2003 The Wine News rating: 92 points
2003 Wine Enthusiast rating: 90 points
2002 Wine & Spirits rating: 93 points
2002 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2002 Wine Enthusiast rating: 91 points
2002 The Wine Advocate rating: 90 points
2002 The Wine News rating: 90 points
2001 Wine Spectator rating: 95 points
2001 The Wine Advocate rating: 93 points
2001 Wine & Spirits rating: 92 points
2000 Wine Spectator rating: 94 points
1999 The Wine Advocate rating: 93 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
1999 Wine Enthusiast rating: 91 points
1998 Wine Spectator rating: 89 points
1998 The Wine News rating: 89 points
1998 The Wine Advocate rating: 88 points
1997 The Wine News rating: 96 points
1997 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
1997 Wine & Spirits rating: 92 points
1997 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points
1996 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points
1996 The Wine Advocate rating: 89 points
1995 The Wine Advocate rating: 92 points
1994 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points
1994 The Wine Advocate rating: 89 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 Named after the founder of the winery, Don Melchor de Concha y Toro, this wine has become a symbol of the best that the land and the winemaker's hand can produce in Chile.

The Puente Alto Vineyard in the Maipo Valley has the perfect combination of climate and soils for producing world-class wine: the climate is ideal and predictable, and the soil is poor and gravelly to reduce yields and increase concentration naturally. After fermentation, the wine is matured in the finest French oak barriques for 14 months, followed by another year in the bottle before release.

Ripe fleshy fruit and berries lead off this highly aromatic wine. Later, the tobacco and chocolate come through and marry with the vanilla. Agreeable, mature tannins elegantly convey the best expression of the Puente Alto vines. The pleasant, long finish displays great harmony and balance.

The result is a rich, full-bodied wine with unmistakable character in the bouquet and on the finish. Drink with any hearty dish, lamb, steak, and strong cheeses.
My Notes:

Additional wines from Vina Concha y Toro:

About Vina Concha y Toro:

 In 1883, Don Melchor de Concha y Toro and his wife, Doña Emiliana Subercaseaux, brought the most noble of the Bordeaux region's wine grape stocks to Chile, founding Viña Concha y Toro. Don Melchor planted his first vines in the Maipo Valley, and it was there that he built his home, known today as the Casona de Pirque. In October 1994, Concha y Toro became the first Chilean winery to have its shares traded on the New York stock exchange.

In 1997, Eduardo Guilisasti and Baronness Philippine de Rothschild endorsed a joint venture between Concha y Toro and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, creating Viña Almaviva. Its goal was to produce the first Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé equivalent in Chile, a "Primer Orden" wine. Concha y Toro contributed 40 hectares of its best Puente Alto vineyards for the production of Almaviva, and built a château-type cellar for this unique wine, to be run the same way as for a "Grand Cru Classé".

Dedicated to producing wines of unprecedented quality that fully demonstrate the potential of Chile's natural resources, Concha y Toro has become the quality leader in Chilean winemaking.