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by Manos Angelakis
Concha y Toro is one of the oldest and best Chilean wineries dating to 1883. Don Melchor Concha y Toro, a distinguished Chilean lawyer, entrepreneur, and politician, decided at that time to go into the winemaking business, brought over some of the grape varieties of the Bordeaux region, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Merlot, and Carmenère to Chile, and contracted French enologist, Monsieur de Labouchere, to prepare his first wines.
Today, Concha y Toro exports Chilean wine to over 100 countries in the world, and the US is one of its major markets. In 1987 they partnered with U.S. importer Banfi Vintners. The Marqués de Casa Concha wines, and the famous Don Melchor label, were born as a result of this collaboration.
I knew the Concha y Toro wines from the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, when I was traveling to Santiago twice yearly to prepare promotional material for the Chilean national airline. At that time, Casillero del Diablo was the flagship product and I enjoyed many a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon with my steaks at El Parron, one of the oldest and finest churrascarias (steakhouses) in the Chilean capital.
 During my recent trip to Chile, I once again drank Concha y Toro wines. This time, it was both during meals and during a formal tasting at La Casona de Pirque, Don Melchor’s patrician manor house, that now houses the company’s headquarters, visitor’s center, museum and one of the aging cellars, the famous Casillero del Diablo – the Devil’s Cellar – after which the workhorse brand of Concha y Toro is named. The tasting took place under the watchful eye of Ignacio Recabarren, the senior oenologist.
 Concha y Toro now has 5,730 hectares under vine in Chile - plus 790 hectares in Argentina - of which almost 1,500 are white clones mostly Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, plus some Viognier, Gewürztraminer and Riesling, while the rest are reds, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Malbec, Pinot Noir, and Carmenère. The vineyards are located in many of the best grape-growing Chilean valleys, from Limarí in the North to Maule in the South, with Casablanca, Maipo, Rapel, and Colchagua producing the majority of the best grapes.
The lines imported in the US include Frontera (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Merlot Rosé, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc); Casillero del Diablo (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Carmenère, Shiraz Rosé, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling); Marques de Casa Concha (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay); Terrunyo (Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc), Amelia (single vineyard Chardonnay from the Casablanca Valley); Don Melchor (single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from the Puente Alto vineyard in Maipo).
Our tasting concentrated on Terrunio, Marques de Casa Concha, Amelia, and a new bottling, Carmin de Peumo, a Carmenère wine from grapes grown in the Cachapoal Valley (the Peumo Vineyard straddles the Rapel and Cachapoal Valleys). It was very interesting noting the terroir- and vintage- imposed taste differences while tasting first the Terrunio Carmenère 1999, then the Terrunio Carmenère 2001, then the Terruno Carmenère 2004 - all three made from grapes grown in the Rapel Valley - and then the Carmin de Peumo, made from Carmenère grapes grown in the Cachapoal Valley.
From my tasting notes:
Terrunyo, 2006 Sauvignon Blanc. Made from grapes grown in the eastern hillsides of the Casablanca Valley, this wine has a pronounced cold-climate character. Flavorful, aromatic, creamy, with citrus (grapefruit) on the nose. Pronounced minerality with a hint of saltiness on the finish. For an MSRP of under $20 per bottle, it is an excellent specimen of a modern white wine that pairs harmoniously with the lighter flavors of contemporary cuisine. Rated at LWM90 points.
Marques de Casa Concha, 2005 Chardonnay. From grapes grown in the Maipo Valley, 100% handpicked. A creamy, French barrel fermented and aged wine, with tropical fruit on the nose, slightly oily with hints of smoke en bouche. Long mineral finish. Rated at LWM89 points.
Amelia, 2005 Chardonnay. Grapes from El Triángulo vineyard in Casablanca. This was one ultra-premium wine that needs some bottle age to mellow. Made from 100% handpicked grapes, fermented in stainless and aged in French oak barriques. Good structure with slightly elevated acidity. Tropical notes, hints of oak, slightly salty on the finish. Rated at LWM91 points.
Marques de Casa Concha, 2005 Merlot. A just-bottled (less than one month in bottle when we tasted it), garnet hued wine with ruby highlights. Nice legs. Fresh and flavorful with violets and black forest fruit, and hints of vanilla, eucalyptus and toffee. According to Ignacio Recabarren, this was a close to perfect vintage. This wine will age gracefully. Rated at LWM90 points.
Terrunyo 2004 Carmenère. Grapes from the Peumo vineyard in Rapel Valley. Actually a blend that includes in addition to the Carmenère, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. A young, exuberant wine with black cherries, black forest fruit and chocolate on the palate and sweet, fine grained tannins. Because 2004 was a cool year, the grapes were left to fully ripen and were late picked. Some bottle age will improve an already very nice drinking wine. Rated at LWM92 points.
Carmin de Peumo. An iconic Carmenère, aged 1 year in new oak and 22 months in bottle. No fining, no filtering. Inky garnet colored, with ripe plum and cassis, coffee and toffee and hints of eucalyptus on the palate. Black stone fruit and hints of cigarbox and herbs de Provence on the nose. Very limited production, only 500 cases. Rated at LWM94 points.
During lunch, we had the 2003 Terrunyo Carmenère with both a Truffled Risotto with Garden Snails and Violet Petal Crunch, and the main course of Confit de Canard on Forest Mushrooms, with Sweet Squash Purée. This menu highlighted the versatility of the Carmenère that stood up to the strong but very different flavors of both the risotto and the confit. Rated at LWM92 points.
© February 2007 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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