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Don Melchor
Dan Green, special correspondent for 1000 Corks
"Creosote. It reminds me of the smell of Creosote". Thus began Christopher Hoel's description of his tasting of my beloved Don Melchor 2003 at the French Laundry.
I had cherished the bottle since purchasing it in Chile several years ago after it appeared as number four on the Wine Spectator Top 100 List of 2006. Don Melchor and I went way back…back to 1994 when I first visited Chile as a college student on an exchange program and my parents and I visited the Concha y Toro winery that makes Don Melchor.
At the time, my budget couldn't afford it; I was limited to $7 a bottle "late harvest" whites, which, by the way, tasted terrific to a twenty-one year old.
The sommelier's words initially pained me but he went on…"It has a wonderful earthy quality and is so young. I can't believe how dark the color is. This wine is a superb example of what a Chilean red should taste like." Whew, I felt redeemed.
Don Melchor is Concha y Toro's flagship red, a wine known for its big bouquet, full body and consistency. Year in and year out Don delivers. Several years ago, it was a fantastic value at about $35/bottle. I remember seeing it at Trader Joe's at the time.
Now, alas, its recent success among wine critics has led its winemaker to raise prices - it now will set you back around $55-60/bottle at Costco. But to my mind it still delivers on every penny.
It's a wine that is not for the faint of heart. It is tannic and full-bodied, best served with a bife de chorizo or some other choice cut of red meat. It is a deep and vibrant red. But for me it is the perfect example of what a high-class South American wine should be.
Don Melchor is a wine very much worth cherishing during a special meal with friends or family. And, even at current prices, a wine that continues to deliver good value.
