Team C&J
Our Rating
Maipo
Cabernet Sauvignon
If there’s a sweet spot where meticulous vineyard management, French oak finesse, and an almost academic obsession with terroir come together, the 2021 Don Melchor lands right there. Chile’s Puente Alto has been building a name for Cabernet Sauvignon for decades now, and Don Melchor has often led the charge. This vintage? A polished, aromatic, age-worthy wine that doesn’t scream for attention but gets it anyway.
You will be hard pressed to find a top critic who doesn’t love this wine. James Suckling gave it 99 points, Tim Atkin followed closely at 98, and Wine Spectator named it the 2024 Wine of the Year, awarding it 96 points—echoing our own Cork and Journey Panel’s 96-point rating. And the list goes on and on.
Viña Don Melchor was never built to blend into the crowd. Since its founding in the late 1980s, the winery has operated with a clear purpose: craft a single, estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon that shows just how expressive Chile’s Alto Maipo region can be. While many Chilean producers have branched into broad portfolios and experimented with blends, Don Melchor has stayed remarkably focused. Their vineyard, nestled in Puente Alto at the foot of the Andes, is now synonymous with high-altitude Cabernet.
The winery might be rooted in tradition, but it’s certainly not stuck in it. Today, Don Melchor is as much about meticulous vineyard mapping and soil study as it is about the romantic notion of wine as art. From vintage to vintage, there’s consistency without predictability—a nod to the ever-changing conditions that give the vineyard its charm and challenge.
Enrique Tirado isn’t the loudest voice in Chilean wine, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find one more respected. Since taking the reins in 1997, he’s become the quiet force behind Don Melchor’s evolution—from a strong national wine to a global reference point for Chilean Cabernet.
Tirado approaches winemaking like a vintner-scientist hybrid. His background in agronomy and winemaking set the foundation, but it’s his long-term commitment to the Puente Alto vineyard that really shows in the glass. He doesn’t just manage the site—he studies it, breaks it down, and adapts with every season. Back in 2002, he spearheaded Chile’s first serious soil and terroir study alongside terroir consultant Pedro Parra and the Institut National Agronomique in Paris. That tells you everything you need to know about how seriously he takes the place.
Tirado has also kept Don Melchor connected to Bordeaux through blending sessions with the late Jacques Boissenot and now his son Eric. The result is a wine that carries a distinct Chilean fingerprint but wears a Bordeaux-tailored suit.
His latest project—the Sundial Vineyard—is another step forward, aiming to tackle sustainability and climate change through science and experimentation. If his legacy wasn’t already secure, this move certainly cements it.
The 2021 vintage is in no rush to reveal everything at once. On first swirl, you get those classic markers of well-aged Cabernet—cedar, graphite, and a whisper of worn leather. But lean in and the glass starts opening up with a lifted combination of black cherry, violets, and a cool, herbal streak—think mint and eucalyptus rather than fresh-cut grass. Bell pepper makes a subtle appearance, adding a vegetal note that’s more of a backbone than a headline. And oak? Present, but in harmony—not a battering ram of vanilla, but rather a quiet structural companion.
This is a wine that builds. First comes a burst of dark fruit—black cherry and black currant mostly—then the savory elements follow. Leather and graphite add depth, while a thread of licorice and black pepper lends a spicy lift through the mid-palate. That minty edge shows up again, cutting through the density and keeping things fresh. There’s a definite warmth from the 14.5% ABV, but it’s tucked in behind fine-grained tannins and a well-measured level of acidity.
Oak aging—15 months in French barrels, two-thirds new—shows up mostly as texture and spice. A touch of cinnamon lingers on the long finish. The tannins are firm but not aggressive, pointing to a wine that’s clearly built for the long haul, but already drinkable with an hour or so of air.
This wine walks that fine line between power and restraint. The body is full, but not heavy. Acidity is just shy of medium, but the wine doesn’t feel soft or overly ripe. And the alcohol, while noticeable, never throws the wine out of balance. Instead, everything seems calibrated to highlight the vineyard rather than overshadow it. That’s a rare thing at this level of concentration and polish.
The 2021 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon isn’t a wine chasing trends. It doesn’t need to. It’s confident in its identity—rooted in Puente Alto’s cool nights and alluvial soils, shaped by decades of study and craft.
What’s most impressive is how it manages to express place without losing poise. It’s complex but not chaotic, age-worthy without being austere. You could drink it now—after a generous decant and maybe with a grilled steak or mushroom ragù—but you’d be missing out on what time will bring. This is a wine with a long arc, and it’s likely to reward patience all the way through the early 2040s.
At $175, it’s not an everyday pour, but it’s not pretending to be. This is a wine that holds its own next to more expensive bottles from Napa or Bordeaux, without mimicking either. Instead, it confidently represents a region—and a winemaker—that have been quietly redefining what Chilean Cabernet can be.
Chile
Maipo
Cabernet Sauvignon
14.5
Enrique Tirado
Now to 2045
1 Hour
Viña Don Melchor
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