Chile·Established·$-$$$$$

Concha y Toro (Don Melchor)

Chile’s largest producer and the founder of Don Melchor — the country’s first ‘icon’ Cabernet Sauvignon from the Puente Alto subregion of Maipo Valley.

Founded
1883
Ownership
Publicly listed (Viña Concha y Toro SA)
Price tier
$-$$$$$
Annual production
Don Melchor: ~120,000 bottles annually
Primary appellation
Puente Alto, Maipo Valley DO
Cross-references
5

About Concha

Concha y Toro is Chile’s largest wine producer (and one of the largest in Latin America) operating across a vast price range from everyday Frontera to the icon-tier Don Melchor. The Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, first produced in 1987 from the Puente Alto vineyard in the Maipo Valley, is recognized as the foundational icon Chilean wine — the bottle that established Chile as a serious premium Cabernet producer. Stylistically Don Melchor is a Cabernet-dominated Bordeaux-style blend (Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon) with a distinctive minty-eucalyptus character from the Puente Alto terroir. The house also produces the Viñedo Chadwick property (a separate joint venture with the Chadwick family), Almaviva (a joint venture with Baron Philippe de Rothschild), and the broader Casillero del Diablo / Marqués de Casa Concha range.

Flagship wines

  • Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada
  • Marqués de Casa Concha
  • Almaviva (joint venture, Maipo)

Editorial notes

Practical guidance

Don Melchor cellars 10-20 years from strong vintages. The 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2018 are landmark vintages. The Puente Alto subregion (high-altitude Maipo) produces some of the world’s most distinctive Cabernet — the minty character is unmistakable.

Cross-references

Related appellations

Related styles