I was recently honoured with the opportunity to sample iconic Cabernet wines by Chile’s Viña Don Melchor with food pairings at Riley’s Fish & Steak in downtown Vancouver. It was a fantastic evening with Benjamin Mitarakis, Director of Trade Development for Viña Concha y Toro, the parent company of Viña Don Melchor.
History of Don Melchor
Don Melchor wine’s history is rooted in the founding of Viña Concha y Toro in 1883 by Don Melchor Concha y Toro. He was a visionary winemaker who brought vines from the famous French region of Bordeaux to Chile and was the first to plant them in Pirque, at the foot of the Andes mountain range. Specifically, he planted the first vines of Cabernet Sauvignon brought from Bordeaux in Chile at his countryside house (the “casa”). The winery still maintains non-phylloxera vineyards planted without rootstock, preserving this original material.
The Don Melchor wine as it is known today began later. In 1984, French wine master Emile Peynaud recognized the excellence of the Puente Alto terroir and suggested his collaborator Jacques Boissenot lead a project to bring Don Melchor wine to life. The first vintage was released in 1987, which is said to have reinvented the Chilean wine industry and proved that great wines could be produced from this unique terroir. This vintage also defined principles of winemaking excellence in Chile. Enrique Tirado became the exclusive winemaker for Don Melchor in 1997. He is recognized for his research, study of terroirs, winemaking sensitivity, and is considered an influential figure in Chile’s wine scene with extensive knowledge of the Puente Alto appellation.
Don Melchor vintages have consistently received high recognition, with 10 vintages appearing in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines and 4 vintages making the Top 10. The 2020 vintage was exclusively recognized as the only Chilean wine in the “Best of the Best Wines of the World” by Robb Report in 2023. In 2024, the 2021 vintage was chosen as “Wine of the Year” by Wine Spectator, achieving the #1 position on their Top 100 list. This vintage was described as very unique due to a perfect combination of weather conditions that resulted in a very expressive and elegant wine.
The Vineyard
The Don Melchor vineyard is located in the Puente Alto appellation, within the Maipo Valley. It is situated near to Santiago, about 35 km from downtown, and lies at the foot of the Andes mountain range. The vineyard is about 600 meters asl.
According to Benjamin, the soil profile is very important; the soils are poor, very sandy, with little clay, but include big gravels. The gravels are crucial as they help the vines grow strong by allowing the roots to go down very deep (seen under 5-6 meters) and grab onto the gravel for stability. The area is part of the oldest terrace of the Maipo region, with very old calcareous material.
The dominant grape planted is Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in this region. While it is the backbone, the wine composition varies yearly, typically being 90% or more Cabernet Sauvignon, with parcels also dedicated to Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Carmenère and Malbec are not typically listed or produced from this specific region by Don Melchor.
A key practice in the vineyard is massal selection, where the best vines are chosen and reproduced to preserve genetic material and promote diversity, rather than cloning. 80% of the vineyard is planted ungrafted, meaning directly into the soil without rootstock. This is possible because the vineyards are phylloxera-free. The newest section, Block 7, though is grafted with a rootstock resistant to drought.
Parcel Management: The vineyard is divided into parcels, including seven large parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon. Understanding the unique expression of each individual parcel is important, as the final Don Melchor wine is a master blend of these parcels.
Sundial Vineyard Project
An innovative experimental project was launched in 2024 called the Sundial Vineyard Project. Guided by Enrique Tirado, its main idea is to find the best exposure and planting density for vines. A vineyard was planted with a radial pattern using massal selection, ungrafted Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard provides valuable data on how orientation and density of the vines affect microclimate, production, and ripening, helping to determine the best vineyard architecture for sustainability and climate change. A new vineyard is now being planted using the optimal orientation (156°) identified by the project.
Making Don Melchor Cabernet Wine
The winemaking process at Don Melchor involves several key steps:
- Vinification: Only ripe, intact, and healthy grapes are selected. Fermentation takes place in small stainless steel tanks with careful control of temperatures and pumpovers. Colour and tannins are extracted from the skins and seeds through delicate maceration. After fermentation, the skins and seeds are pressed to maintain high tannin quality.
- Blending: The creation of a new vintage involves defining the percentages of lots from the different parcels. The final wine is a master blend. The Boissenot family, first Jacques and now his son Eric, have been involved in the blending process with Enrique Tirado since the beginning. Enrique Tirado and Eric Boissenot meet annually in Bordeaux, France, to taste approximately 125 lots from the vineyard to select the final blend. The goal is to achieve a balanced expression of each parcel, representing the place, soil, and the Andes Mountains.
- Aging: Once the blend is determined, the wine is aged in oak barrels from French forests (Allier, Tronçais, Nevers). About two-thirds of the barrels are new, and one-third have been used once before. This barrel aging lasts 12–15 months. After bottling, the wine undergoes additional aging for another year to develop its characteristic complexity and elegance.
The Don Melchor wine is a high-end Chilean wine, selling out quickly, indicating a demand from educated consumers despite Chile sometimes being perceived primarily for value wines. Properly storing these wines, perhaps in a temperaure controlled wine storage unit, a wine cellar, or in a cool area in your basement, is advised to keep them in best condition.
My Tasting Notes and Food Pairings
Benjamin had two Don Melchor Cabernet wines for us to try, plus a Chardonnay to start the evening. Our dishes with wine pairings:
Tasting Notes
Viña Don Melchor Amelia Chardonnay 2023 – named after the daughter of Don Melchor. The grapes come from the Limari Valley, which the winery determined was the perfect place to grow Chardonnay grapes. This wine has medium intensity clear, bright lemon colour. Medium body, dry, with pineapple aromas. Medium body, smooth, lightly round with a light mouthfeel. Toast, more than pineapple on the palate. A touch of silkiness on the palate. But also has some tartness. Medium-plus length, finishing with tart tropical fruit flavours and mouthwatering acidity. 
Viña Don Melchor Cabernet 2021 – A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Merlot. It is opaque garnet in colour. Medium intensity, juicy berry aromas. Dry, medium-plus body and flavour intensity. Silky smooth and soft mouthfeel. Juicy, sweet berry flavours plus touches of cinnamon, dark chocolate, black pepper, and salty minerality. As the wine opens up in the glass, I also picked up a hint of capsicum. Light, fine-grained, dusty tannins. Nice, bright acidity. Medium-plus length. –
Viña Don Melchor Cabernet 2022 – A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Opaque garnet colour. Medium intensity, juicy berry nose. Stronger aromas than the 2021 vintage. Medium body with a lean, soft, smooth mouthfeel. Medium-plus acidity and lighter tannins that firm up on the finish. Sweet red fruits plus a touch of capsicum on the palate. Vibrant flavours. Some dark fruit flavours and bitterness with air. This wine definitely feels much younger and tighter than the 2021 vintage, and will need more cellar time before showing off its quality.
The Lobster Ravioli with brown butter, basil oil and sweet corn emulsion was lightly creamy. You could taste citrus rind and had full lobster flavour. I also enjoyed a crunch/pop from the sweet corn. The acidity from the Amelia Chardonnay 2023 and the pineapple wine made a complementary pairing to this dish.
The Grilled Double Lamb Chop with rosemary jus, fennel pollen and celeriac purée was my favourite dish. The lamb chop was nicely pink, juicy and soft with very savoury flavours. The rosemary added a faint aroma to the dish. The fruit, acidity and tannins from the Don Melchor Cabernet 2021 meshed nicely with this dish.
The Roasted Tomahawk with black truffle butter, caramelized onion, creamed spinach, and roasted garlic jus was cooked medium-well. It had a soft texture, plus the dish overall with other complements was very buttery. Lots of flavour from the caramelized onion. The Don Melchor Cabernet 2022 fruit flavours and tannins were complementary to this dish.
Our dessert course was Vanilla Crème Brûlée with cinnamon & caramelized pear and was of tremendous size. Although we did not have any Don Melchor wine to go with dessert, we did have a small glass of Hennessy X.O. cognac. A very indulgent way to end the meal.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
The BC Liquor stores show that they carry a Don Melchor Cabernet, but do not list the vintage. Marquis Wine Cellars carries the 2020 vintage of Don Melchor Cabernet.
