Opened this past Saturday at a birthday dinner; hence no formal notes. But it is fairly disappointing at this stage. Nose and palate closed down, blackcurrant the dominant characteristic but complexity not starting to show yet. Decanting didn't do any magic either, just scared what fruit there was away. Tuck away safely.
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Posts: 212 | Location: Stockholm, Sweden | Registered: Dec 18, 2006
Solomon: Relax. Although I feel that this wine maybe doesn't entirely live up to the hype, I meant to say that you need to give it time. The structure seems ok to me, so the future should be brighter, but right now it's closed down with a small and one-dimensional nose.
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Posts: 212 | Location: Stockholm, Sweden | Registered: Dec 18, 2006
We opened a bottle of the '01 Melchor at a group wine night about 2 months ago and it was very much out classed on that night by a number of Cali cabs ('04 Caymus in particular) showing a lot of green pepper. The next night, however, it was wonderful. Based on this experience, I would hold the '01 for another year before opening, as I will do with the rest of mine.
"Good wine, good food, good friends...What else do you need?"
It should be drinking nicely now, but will probably improve for a year or two. Why not pop it now and buy more if you like it for future enjoyment?
PH
Thanks PH! I will leave it be for a bit only because these fine wines sell out quickly here in Canada. Apparently our allotment sucks but I get what I can get my hands on.
Opinion is nothing but truth for the Expert!
Posts: 195 | Location: Vancouver B.C | Registered: Mar 23, 2007
If you're drinking any of the recent great vintages of Don Melchor - my advice is to give it A LOT of air. Decant for an hour if possible, ahead of drinking it.
As for the '04, it contains %6 Cabernet Franc, which is a good sign for the overall ripeness of the wine ('04 was a cooler year than '03 and '05). Adding anywhere from %2 to %9 Cabernet Franc has been one of Enrique Tirado's enhancements to the wine since he took over the winemaking in '97. Tirado also used a basket press for the first time on the Don Melchor in the '04 vintage.
--JM
Posts: 1232 | Location: New York, NY | Registered: Oct 20, 2005
do you think I should be suspicious of the bottle I opened? I thought much like you and decanted into a wide base decanter something like two hours ahead. Yet I thought there just wasn't much there, even though I found no formal faults. I expected a richer wine with more complexity. But like I wrote, I felt the structure carried some promise of development.
If you find the time, your input is always appreciated.
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Posts: 212 | Location: Stockholm, Sweden | Registered: Dec 18, 2006
My experience with the '04 so far (tasting some barrel samples, but not the the final bottled wine yet) is that it should be in the league of the '02, but not the '03 or '01. If it's just been released, it probably isn't too happy after shipping here, so it could be a little awkward right now....
--JM
Posts: 1232 | Location: New York, NY | Registered: Oct 20, 2005
Sorry to revive this old thread, but I couldn't find what I was looking for. I thought that someone had already raised the question about the large variance in the drinking windows of this wine - Jay Miller of the Wine Advocate had indicated that the wine would be best after 8-10 years and should drink well through 2032 while James Molesworth's window was from now through 2013. Any ideas about why there is such a huge difference? I haven't tasted the wine yet, so I was interested to know others thoughts on this. Is it normal to see such a big variation in drinking windows?
Posts: 1791 | Location: NC | Registered: May 01, 2007
Different strokes for different folks. I've had every vintage of DM, and have also tasted through multiple verticals of the wine over time.
Recent vintages (2000 through 2004) are the best for this wine - earlier bottlings often hit their peak at just 3-5 years, while currently I find it to be a 6 to 10 year wine. Does that mean it totally falls apart on its 10th anniversary? Of course not, but I don't think you'll get much more from the wine in terms of complexity and change after the 10 year period...as for a 25 year window? I'd say that's pushing it a bit...
--JM
Posts: 1232 | Location: New York, NY | Registered: Oct 20, 2005
I don't know about the '04 in specific, but having had the '99, '00, and '01 on various occasions I would not try to hold a Don Melchor for 25 years.
JM's window would seem close to what I've found - the wine needs time to age, but from how it tastes after 7-8 years, I just don't think it should be held much past 10-12 yrs. Just my humble opinion.
James and Montsant - I appreciate the info. I am totally new to the Don Melchor (yes - I am slow on the uptake on some of these things), but I was interested in giving them a try and was trying to get an idea for drinking windows/ageability and was really surprised by the large variation. This helps a lot. Thanks again.
Posts: 1791 | Location: NC | Registered: May 01, 2007
I've had the '99 about 7 months ago, and I would say it is open for business, and drinking quite beautifully right now. The '04 which I had about 3 months ago (decanted for 1 hour) is, however, not open at all. I would hold the '04 for atleast 2-3 years.
