2005 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor (Private Reserve)- Chile, Central Valley, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto (11/23/2009)
Cocoa, coffee and some slight minty earth notes on the nose. Seems to be pretty tight on the palate and a lot of the Don Melchor I’ve been having lately has had a little bit of a vegetal green streak running through it that isn’t really appealing to me. I much preferred the 01-03 vintages of this wine over the 04-05 that I have had. Can’t say that I am overly impressed with this 05. It did improve a bit on the second night but not enough for me to be very excited about the other bottle I have. I’ll probably lose that one in the back of the cellar and see if I can try it again in about 5 or more years.
2005 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor- Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto (7/5/2017)
– decanted 1.5 hours before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over a few hours –
– 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc –
NOSE: ripe fruit aromas — more red-fruited than purple-fruited, but it is a mix of the two; a bit sweet; medium sweet oak note.
BODY: some sediment; dark blood red color of great depth with a hint of bricking throughout; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: ripe; oaky; medium-low acidity; soft tannins; non-descript and a bit lush; lacks energy; hint of smoky leather after some time in the glass; maybe better in 5 years?; when paired with steak and a caramelized onion risotto: smoky coffee note emerges; much better with food than without; with the food, this actually turns into an impressive wine — one that I dare say is a poor man’s LLC. gut impression scores: without food: high 80’s; with food: low 90’s. Because this is still mostly primary, and because of the impressive presentation with food, this continues to be a wine that I should Hold.
I have not tasted the “Don Melchor”, yet the recent vintages of the Concha y Toro “Marques de Casa Concha” have been more and more lightly crafted/stylized.
Here’s a cool video of Marcelo Papa discussing soils: