For the eighth time in its history, Puente Alto’s icon Cabernet Sauvignon was included in the prestigious ranking of the US wine critic, ranking 44th this year.

Viña Don Melchor’s flagship wine is once again the talk of the town and now in its 2021 vintage, the 35th and last to be revealed. After being awarded 99 points by US wine critic James Suckling, this year it was one of the eight Chilean wines considered in the Top 100 World Wines of the Year list, which the specialist publishes annually on his official website.

“Ashy graphite, cassis, iron, blackberries and a hint of cigar box and chocolate. Lots of violets, too. Rich and intense with a full-bodied palate. Showing density and very fine but structured tannins. Long and intense finish with lots of flavors. 93% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc and 3% merlot. One of the best over the last few years. Drinkable now, but will fledge and hold very well in the next 20 years”, is how Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor at JamesSuckling.com, describes the 2021 vintage of Don Melchor.

Enrique Tirado, Technical Director and CEO of Viña Don Melchor, said: “The 2021 vintage provided us with very expressive wines, brimming with concentration, dense and long, that cast a spotlight on the fruit and textural quality of every variety grown in the Don Melchor Vineyard, displaying a fine balance between finesse and energy, with extremely expressive flavors and aromas.”

Don Melchor has become the faithful expression of a Cabernet Sauvignon from a specific terroir in the Don Melchor Vineyard, located in the Alto Maipo Valley at the foot of the Andes Mountains. The sector from which the grapes are obtained is divided into homogeneous plots in vigor, which receive a differentiated agricultural management to achieve a balanced growth of each of the vines and their plots. This is how this icon wine comes from 7 different sectors within the vineyard, and is the result of an exceptional work of creative alchemy.

In addition, as the grapes come from vines reproduced entirely from pre-phylloxera massal selection vines -80% of them planted on ungrafted vines and 20% planted on rootstock-, Don Melchor seeks to protect the unique genetic material of its vines and thus safeguard the identity of its origin.

This recognition confirms once again the unquestionable quality and enological consistency of this icon wine, which represents the finesse, balance and complexity of the Puente Alto appellation.