Douglas Braun

9.0

This is the 2022 Vintage - out of a 375ml - have a soft spot for this Winery when Brice Jones owned it he had the most amazing Chardonnay symposium with speakers from around the world - Now it’s owned by Brown Forman ( big distributor) Made in the same style lees contact - toasted bread , toasted nuts , honey , butterscotch, medium bodied , med acidity , — a year ago

Ashlee Howarth

9.6

Tryin all of Dave's recommendations — 9 years ago

with Phil

Gladys Xiques

9.3

Lighter than one would expect from a cab from CA, its balanced fruit makes a great companion with its herbaceous notes. Paired with a pumpkin ravioli with brown butter sage sauce. The pairing could not be more cohesive. Forman, what a fun and unique wine to pair with food. — 9 years ago

Lisa Sands

9.3

Great in a Manhattan or just a shot — 10 years ago

Mike Evans

9.2

Nice pure blackberry and cassis fruit with just a dash of brown sugar. While it has plenty of fruit, it has a savoriness and fine tannin that keep it from being cloying and bring it good balance. Very enjoyable without food, but it really shines with a grilled, dry-aged Flannery ribeye. It is the kind of balanced Napa Cabernets that takes me back to wines like early 1990s Etude and Forman. — 5 years ago

Gottfried Benn

8.9

@delectable: this Kisi Qvevri 2012 from JSC Corporation Kindzmarauli/Georgia.
This is an orange wine which was fermented in amphoras With skin contact and aged in barrels.
Gold-Brown color, slightly cloudy.
Tastes like a dry sherry. Almost no fruit, quite Salty. Interesting stuff. — 8 years ago

Jeff Smith/Vintner

9.0

Pretty solid wine from a wet vintage. From the Ric Forman era. I think this my be the second, or third Abreu vintage. Cinnamon, spice, toasted brown sugar. Very bright acidity. Fruit is fading a little, but still pure. Black and red currant. If you have it in the cellar, I'd pull the cork. Still very solid, but maybe on the back 9. David was sitting at the bar at Mustards, so I got to share it with him. Fun to drink it with the guy how made it. — 9 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.0

Pleasantly oily and very smooth for a 90. Nicely warm on the finish. — 9 years ago

Justin Kline

9.2

Lots of fruit. Cherries and Apples. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

The first Don Melchor from my storage and it’s very good but still early. I won’t open another for at least 5 years or more. The nose on first open showed ruby dark currants. As it opened up in the two hour decant, it’s nose changed and showed some earthy funkiness with a fair amount of mushroom. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, overly baked strawberries, blueberries, black cherry cola, dark dry soils, dry crushed rocks, dry stems, soft leather, lead pencil shavings, dry stones, mushrooms, darker Asian spices, mint, dry herbs, anise, tarry notes, black tea, lilacs and fresh & dry dark florals. The body is full, round, lush & elegant. The tannins are round & beautiful, but only 50% resolved. The palate matches the nose very closely. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, overly baked strawberries, blueberries, black cherry cola, dark chocolate & mocha, dark dry soils, dry crushed rocks, dry stems, soft leather, lead pencil shavings, tobacco with ash, dry stones, darker Asian spices, mint, dry herbs, anise, tarry notes, black tea, lilacs and fresh & dry dark florals. The acidity is round & beautiful. The length, balance, structure and tension are extremely solid. The finish is still big, full, round, richly elegant and lasts minutes. Photos of; their beautiful Estate, harvested fruit, a library cellar that I think we’d all like to raid and their barrel room with tasting area. Producer history and notes...Concha y Toro was founded by Don Melchor de Santiago Concha y Toro and his wife, Emiliana Subercaseaux, in 1883. They are the largest producer of wines from Latin America and are headquartered in Santiago, Chile. They own 8,720 hectares spread throughout Chile's major wine regions of; Maipo, Maule, Rapel, Colchagua, Curico, and Casablanca. He started the winery with grape varieties that he brought from Bordeaux. The grapes he brought were; Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Merlot, and Carmenère. Concha y Toro started exporting wine in March of 1933 to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In 1950, the winery began to acquire more vineyards. They also began the process of adapting its wine to new markets and meeting a higher demand. In 1971, Eduardo Guilisasti Tagle became Chairman of the Board and succeeded in expanding the company. In 1987, they partnered with the U.S. importer Banfi Vintners. This partnership advanced sales and were able to incorporate more advanced technology in all stages of their production. They also started using small French oak barriques that further advanced the quality of their wines. In 2011, Concha y Toro bought the California portfolio of wines from Brown-Forman. The portfolio included these properties; Fetzer, Bonterra, Five River Wines, Bel Arbor Wines, Jekel Vinyards, Coldwater Creek, Sanctuary Wines Little Black Dress Wines. They are now a huge company with nearly a billion dollars in revenues annually. Don Melchor was Chile’s first iconic wine and has received with few exceptions consistent 90+ Parker scores since 1995. Most in the mid 90 range. This 04 is an excellent example of what they can produce in Chile. If I put this in a blind tasting, many would guess Bordeaux and some Napa Cabernet. — 7 years ago