Through a series of masterclasses – led by Isabel Guilisasti, Vice President of Fine Wines and Corporate Image, and the acclaimed winemakers Enrique Tirado and Marcelo Papa–, Viña Concha y Toro aims to promote the Puente Alto denomination of origin as one of the world’s great appellations for producing Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines.
With the goal of continuing to position Puente Alto as a world-class terroir, Viña Concha y Toro has organized a series of masterclasses, designed to promote this appellation internationally, as well as support Chile’s image as a producer of fine wines. They have already taken place in Chile, Brazil and China, and soon will be held in Singapore and the United States, during Wine Experience 2022 in New York.
The events will be led by Isabel Guilisasti, Vice President of Fine Wines and Corporate Image at Viña Concha y Toro, and the acclaimed winemakers, Enrique Tirado and Marcelo Papa. During the events, two fine wines from Puente Alto will also be presented: The 2019 vintage of Don Melchor and the new Marques de Casa Concha Heritage wine, vintage 2020.
Marques de Casa Concha Heritage, which has debuted with its 2020 vintage, is a Bordeaux blend that seeks to faithfully express the terroir that is the source of such outstanding winemaking tradition and heritage. The grapes were a rigorous selection from the El Mariscal and Don Melchor vineyards.
The wine is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon (84%), with contributions of Cabernet Franc (12%) and Petit Verdot (4%). Each variety provides a specific characteristic to the final blend, the composition of which varies from one vintage to the next.
“Marques de Casa Concha Heritage is a wine that faithfully reflects the elegance of Puente Alto and embodies all the heritage of its place of origin, while having its own distinct, new seal,” explains Marcelo Papa, winemaker and technical director at Viña Concha y Toro.
Meanwhile, the 2019 vintage of Don Melchor, which was the Chilean wine industry’s first iconic wine, is now being released. This wine also faithfully reflects its origins in Puente Alto, as well as the painstaking work led by Viña Don Melchor’s technical director and winemaker, Enrique Tirado, to understand every detail of the terroir and bring out its best expression.
Don Melchor 2019 comprises 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. It was aged for 15 months in French oak barrels: 72% of them first-use and 28% second-use. “All of this has resulted in a very refined blend with pronounced aromatic complexity and outstanding fruit expression, as well as ultrafine tannins and great body and structure,” explains winemaker Enrique Tirado.
Both wines underpin the importance of this denomination of Origin for the winery. It has played a fundamental role in the history of Chilean wine and has positioned itself as one of the world’s great places of origin for producing Cabernet Sauvignon-based blends.
