One of Chile’s first, true, iconic wines Don Melchor is (perhaps) what put Chile on the map in terms of modern winemaking. A forerunner to the handful of other icon wines that Chile has produced since the new wave revolution (including Almaviva, Clos Apalta, Seña and Viñedo Chadwick), Don Melchor should be considered as the country’s first ‘Super-Chilean’ wine.

Made by the massive producer Concha y Torro, Don Melchor is the jewel among their 72 labels. Concha is all things to everybody, the entry-level range captures the palettes (and wallets) of the casual drinker, while the iconic range goes comfortably into oenologist and investor territory. And they should know what they are doing - Concha dates from the late 1880s, making it one of the oldest wine estates in Chile.

Planted in fine Cabernet country, the Don Melchor vineyard is 314 acres big, planted at 650 metres above sea level. The land is divided into seven blocks (six Cabernet Sauvignon and one Cabernet France) and 142 individual parcels. In order to obtain Don Melchor's signature complex structure, chief winemaker Enrique Tirado chooses between 50-60 of the 142 parcels to ferment. These parcels vary year on year; some years minute increases in Cabernet Franc might be noticeable, while in others he will rely more heavily on the geographic placement of the vine. Barrel ageing is also a moving part. Usually, ageing takes place in 100% French oak but that’s not always the case. Sounds complicated? It is.

However, the proof is in the glass. Since its introduction onto the Chilean wine scene in 1987, Don Melchor has gathered critical acclaim, awards and high scores. Its second vintage, 1988, was included as one of the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines released that year (in 1992), making it the first Chilean wine to do so. It has also been included in the Top 10 a massive three times. Priced above average for a wine of the region, it is still priced well below average (at around €100 a bottle) for a wine of this calibre. The price has remained stable over the past 24 months from mid-2017.