The prestigious specialized wine publication presented its 2024 report on Chilean wines, highlighting the 2021 vintage as the best Chilean red in its history.

Wine Spectator, the leading specialized magazine in the global wine industry, published its annual report on Chilean wines: “A benchmark year in Chile”, where Aaron Romano, senior editor in charge of tasting wines from Chile and Argentina for the magazine, tasted more than 165 wines, of which more than 100 corresponded to the 2021 vintage, which he described as one that “will serve as a reference for what is expected of the country’s premium sector in the coming years”.

On this occasion, the vintage N°35 of Puente Alto D.O.’s icon Cabernet Sauvignon: Don Melchor 2021, received an extraordinary 96 points and was described by Romano as: “A remarkable effort that conveys the subtlety of the vintage with rich, muscular edges, offering a base of graphite and cassis notes that coalesce around elegant layers of dried rosemary and white pepper. The richly textured core with raspberry and plum flavors shows precision and just the right amount of acidity to stay the right course through the finish of well-integrated tannins and hints of cocoa.”

Don Melchor is the only Chilean wine that has been ranked three times in the Top 10 wines of the world and nine times in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of the world.

As for Concha y Toro’s icon Carmenere, Carmín de Peumo 2021, it received an outstanding 93 points and was described by Aaron Romano as: “An intriguing and complex version that evokes Pinot Noir for its initial notes of cherry, underbrush and red tea, but adds slightly more robust secondary layers of creme de cassis and toasted peppercorns, which intermingle with strawberry jam and sandalwood on the palate. It lengthens nicely around a boost of acidity and tannins with herbal hints.”

The 2021 vintage was rated 94 points by Wine Spectator, making it the highest-ranked vintage of Chilean reds since the media began tasting wines from Chile in the 1990s.

In addition to these extraordinary scores are the great exponents of the Limarí appellation: Amelia Chardonnay and Amelia Pinot Noir, both 2022 vintages, which Aaron Romano refers to as: “In addition, the two highest scoring wines of the vintage so far reflect Chile’s upward trajectory with a wider range of grape varieties from areas outside the country’s wine epicenter”.

Amelia Chardonnay 2022 marks a new milestone after scoring 93 points, the highest score in its Wine Spectator history and the highest for a Chilean Chardonnay in the medium. It was described as a wine that “deftly balances fresh acidity with an unctuous feel, offering flavors of toasted almonds and floral tangelo up front, which give way to elements of salty peach, pineapple and clove. The finish presents accents of sea spray and echoes the main flavors.”

Amelia Pinot Noir 2023 also received 93 points and was described by the reviewer as “fresh and lush, this young red has plenty of appeal, bringing notes of orange peel, rooibos tea and cardamom to the core of red currant and raspberry fruit, and a stimulating acidity that lends a mouthwatering finish around fine, mineral tannins”.

These great recognitions undoubtedly reflect the excellence and great winemaking consistency of the company’s wines, in one of the most influential publications in the global wine industry.