The iconic Cabernet Sauvignon from Puente Alto, which today celebrates its 35th vintage: Don Melchor 2021, becomes the only wine from Chile to have received five times the highest score awarded by the prestigious specialized magazine to a Chilean winery.

Today Viña Don Melchor reached a new milestone after the new vintage of the iconic Cabernet Sauvignon from Puente Alto, Don Melchor 2021 – its 35th vintage – was awarded 96 points and included in the “Hot Wines” segment of one of the world’s most influential wine magazines, Wine Spectator.

This extraordinary score of 96 points is the highest that the magazine has ever awarded to a Chilean wine and Don Melchor has now received it for five different vintages: 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015 and now, with its 35th vintage, 2021. It is the only Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon to receive this historic score five times, thus sustaining its great trajectory.

Aaron Romano, Senior Editor of Wine Spectator, described Don Melchor 2021 as follows: “A remarkable effort that channels the finesse of the vintage with rich, muscular edges, offering a base of graphite and cassis notes that gather around elegant layers of dried rosemary and white pepper.  The richly textured core of raspberry and plum flavors show precision and just enough acidity to keep things sailing onto the finish around well-integrated tannins and touches of cocoa.”

35th vintage

This year, Don Melchor is celebrating its 35th anniversary with the launch of an extraordinary new vintage: 2021, which comprises 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot. This wine expresses the perfect combination between energy and finesse and faithfully reflects the terroir of Puente Alto, a denomination of origin that has been widely acclaimed and recognized as the birthplace of the world’s best Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

“We feel honoured to have received this extraordinary and historic score for Don Melchor 2021. It brings added impetus to our celebration of the very unique history of Don Melchor for this, our 35th vintage. This is a wine of outstanding expression that reflects our passion, our story and our responsibility for preserving the unique terroir expression of Puente Alto,” said Enrique Tirado, CEO and Technical Director of Viña Don Melchor.

Making history

Don Melchor has been included in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list nine times and three times among the outstanding labels in its Top 10 wines of the year, making it the Chilean wine that has been included the most times in this select global ranking.

This new achievement in the history of Viña Don Melchor, just as its 35th vintage – Don Melchor 2021 – is launched, reflects and consolidates the meticulous work and drive for excellence that lies behind the crafting of a world-class wine from one of the best-known appellations for making high-end Cabernet Sauvignon.

For more information about the 35th vintage of Don Melchor, download the 2021 Harvest Report here.

About Viña Don Melchor

Viña don Melchor is responsible for producing the prestigious wine Don Melchor (for which the 2020 vintage is currently on sale), which has garnered the highest accolades in the world’s trade press. The vineyard that gives life to this great wine is located in the well-known appellation of Puente Alto and comprises 127 hectares of vines, mostly ungrafted Cabernet Sauvignon, planted on the third alluvial terrace of the northern bank of the River Maipo, in the Andean foothills. Today Don Melchor is renowned as the first iconic wine of the Chilean industry, with global distribution, that sets a benchmark for high-end wines around the world.

More information at www.donmelchor.com

About Wine Spectator

With a track record spanning more than 40 years, Wine Spectator is one of the world’s most influential wine publications, reaching around 3 million readers globally. The brand also includes the most reliable wine site on the internet (WineSpectator.com), mobile platforms and a series of exclusive events. Wine Spectator provides reliable purchasing advice and reviews some 15,000 wine samples in independent blind wine tastings.

More information at www.winespectator.com