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Wine Information
Domain of Origin (D.O.): Puente Alto, Maipo Valley
Origin: Puente Alto vineyard, located at 650 meters above sea level in the Alto Maipo Valley. The over twenty-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines furnish fabulous fruit.
Soil: Stony soil of Puente Alto, that comprises material carried downstream from the Andes by the Maipo River. Nutrient poor and weakly absorbent soil curbs excessive vegetative growth and fruit production.
Climate: At Puente Alto, in summer, warm days give way to cold nights. Refreshing mountain air channeled down the Maipo canyon cools the vineyard more than elsewhere in the Maipo Valley. It is the sharp diurnal temperature differences that assist tannin ripening and the development of aromas as well as fixing exceptionally high quantities of polyphenol compounds in the grapes.
HARVEST 2007
A warmer than usual winter led to a good spring and encouraged good overall development in the vineyard. Although the early summer months were quite warm, the temperature dropped as the season progressed and promoted good maturation in the bunches. Because rainfall is concentrated in the winter months, we were able to wait patiently for the grapes to fully ripen.
Highly favorable climatic conditions throughout the entire season and decreased yields in the vineyard resulted in making 2007 a vintage of excellent quality wines.
WINE FACTS
Variety: 98% Cabernet Sauvignon - 2% Cabernet Franc
Vineyard: Puente Alto
Harvest: Hand Selected
Soil: Alluvial
Climate: Semiarid Mediterranean.
Barrel: 15 months in French barrel
WINEMAKER'S NOTES
Colour: Intense ruby red
Nose: Complex and elegant, very expressive and marked by red fruits and soft notes of chocolate and tobacco
Taste: Tremendous balance with ripe and friendly tannins. A wine with great depth, structure, and persistence.
MEDIA
Don Melchor 2007 scored 94+ points and was described as one of the best of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety in the latest report on Chile published on the web site of the well-known critic Robert Parker.
Don Melchor, Chile’s first ultra-premium wine, managed by the winemaker Enrique Tirado, is the only one with a total of 22 vintages, all prize-winning and recognized by the world’s critics. The 2007 vintage is composed of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% of Cabernet Franc, from Puente Alto.
This recognition confirms Don Melchor as one of the maximum exponents of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, and the terroir of Puente Alto as one of the best for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The website eRobertParker.com is an independent on-line wines guide addressed to the world’s most influential consumers. It is directed by Robert M. Parker Jr., who has positioned himself as the most widelyread and globally-prestigious American wine critic.
The report on Chile is published annually to evaluate the principal Chilean wineries.