WTN: 1994 Don Melchor (Concha y Toro)

[ctgm]

A good deep ruby colour. fantastic blackcurrant and mint aromas on the nose - unmistakably New World cabernet. This is carried through on to the palate, which also had cedar box notes. Firm but soft tannins and very easy to drink. Well structured and a very enjoyable bottle to go with my game. The only criticism that I really have is that it lacks a bit of length on the finish

Mr Parker says that the anticipated maturity is 2005-2013 but I am not sure that I can agree. Having decanted the wine, the fruit seemed to lose its power after an hour or so. To me this is a sign that it might not last a whole lot longer.

Does anyone have any experience of drinking old (or anything 8 or 9 years old or more) South American wines? it would be interesting to hear any experiences as here in Britain, aging south American wines is not really very common.

[Andre]

I tried the 1991, 1994 and 1995 Don Melchor and had a plaeasant surprise from a Casillero del Diablo 1989.

Truth is I did not intend to age the Diablo, but after forgetting about it for a while, curiosity crept in. Excellent balance between dried prunes, dark chocolate, nutmeg and soft tannins, this wine seemed to be in a perfect condition for its age.

The 1991 Diablo is at its peak with dark red towards brownish edges with a heavy bouquet of dried prunes, choclate, vanilla and spices.

The 1995 is still ruled by a massive amount of dominating tannins with a big question about the development of the fruits. It is a well made massive wine, yet I would expect more complexity from Concha Y Toro's best.

I tasted the Don 1995 right after the Undurraga Founder's Collection. There was a huge gap between the New world Dond and the classic Chilean Undurraga. Most of those who attended the tasting went for the very well focussed Melchor while my own preferance was the more complex Undurraga.

I join your assumption that the 1994 will not add any complexity to deserve aging and will loose a lot of its character if the tannins soften.