Severn Goodwin

9.1

Christmas 🎄 2017
Trying for a diverse group of wines, hopefully crowd-pleasers, needing to pair with a large assortment of tasty treats today.
Happy holidays to everyone.

Getting back to this bottle after returning home to our sanctuary away from the Holiday family craziness. When we first opened the wine was tight and closed up on the nose. Now back to it after several hours, the nose has a faint cider vinegar and ripe peach notes. Palate is full on kiwi/apple/peach, and evolving at every sip. — 6 years ago

Lisa Childers

9.0

Sanctuary with Lee — 7 years ago

Richard Parks III

9.3

Love this Beauj! Fresh tiny dry fruity a teense funk cold slender silhouetted sanctuary dance with me are you flirting funky lady? No, you are a college professor. Respect. — 7 years ago

Elin Krogh

9.1

Frisk og god — 8 years ago

Brandy Gaiser Bleiman

9.2

Enjoyed this at The Sanctuary resort in Kiawah — 9 years ago

Miguel A. Nistal

9.1

Cherry and plum with a chocolate finish. Wonderful cab here in one of my fav towns, Nashville. Listening to Jazz!!! — 9 years ago

with Gary

Christanna Honer

9.8

Zin w/ pinot-like delicacy! Restrained but ripe blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry, w a palate like dark chocolate cordials. Nice structured tannin to back it up. Pleasant smokiness. A non-zin-drinker's zin for sure. — 9 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

The first Don Melchor from my storage and it’s very good but still early. I won’t open another for at least 5 years or more. The nose on first open showed ruby dark currants. As it opened up in the two hour decant, it’s nose changed and showed some earthy funkiness with a fair amount of mushroom. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, overly baked strawberries, blueberries, black cherry cola, dark dry soils, dry crushed rocks, dry stems, soft leather, lead pencil shavings, dry stones, mushrooms, darker Asian spices, mint, dry herbs, anise, tarry notes, black tea, lilacs and fresh & dry dark florals. The body is full, round, lush & elegant. The tannins are round & beautiful, but only 50% resolved. The palate matches the nose very closely. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, overly baked strawberries, blueberries, black cherry cola, dark chocolate & mocha, dark dry soils, dry crushed rocks, dry stems, soft leather, lead pencil shavings, tobacco with ash, dry stones, darker Asian spices, mint, dry herbs, anise, tarry notes, black tea, lilacs and fresh & dry dark florals. The acidity is round & beautiful. The length, balance, structure and tension are extremely solid. The finish is still big, full, round, richly elegant and lasts minutes. Photos of; their beautiful Estate, harvested fruit, a library cellar that I think we’d all like to raid and their barrel room with tasting area. Producer history and notes...Concha y Toro was founded by Don Melchor de Santiago Concha y Toro and his wife, Emiliana Subercaseaux, in 1883. They are the largest producer of wines from Latin America and are headquartered in Santiago, Chile. They own 8,720 hectares spread throughout Chile's major wine regions of; Maipo, Maule, Rapel, Colchagua, Curico, and Casablanca. He started the winery with grape varieties that he brought from Bordeaux. The grapes he brought were; Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Merlot, and Carmenère. Concha y Toro started exporting wine in March of 1933 to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In 1950, the winery began to acquire more vineyards. They also began the process of adapting its wine to new markets and meeting a higher demand. In 1971, Eduardo Guilisasti Tagle became Chairman of the Board and succeeded in expanding the company. In 1987, they partnered with the U.S. importer Banfi Vintners. This partnership advanced sales and were able to incorporate more advanced technology in all stages of their production. They also started using small French oak barriques that further advanced the quality of their wines. In 2011, Concha y Toro bought the California portfolio of wines from Brown-Forman. The portfolio included these properties; Fetzer, Bonterra, Five River Wines, Bel Arbor Wines, Jekel Vinyards, Coldwater Creek, Sanctuary Wines Little Black Dress Wines. They are now a huge company with nearly a billion dollars in revenues annually. Don Melchor was Chile’s first iconic wine and has received with few exceptions consistent 90+ Parker scores since 1995. Most in the mid 90 range. This 04 is an excellent example of what they can produce in Chile. If I put this in a blind tasting, many would guess Bordeaux and some Napa Cabernet. — 7 years ago

Kim Lee

9.0

This is my favorite by far from Sanctuary. — 9 years ago

José Carlos Parigio Junior

9.0

2011 muito bom! — 9 years ago

Rich Sears

8.9

2011 drunk side by side with 2010 Sanctuary. Some notes of pepper. — 9 years ago

with Mark and Julie

Christopher Strieter

Co-Founder, Senses Wines

9.2

Finally had a chance to taste a VHR while volunteering for Jameson Ranch Animal Sanctuary - #wine lived up to expectations, smooth and delicious — 10 years ago

Nate Wilson

9.2

Fruity, interesting blend of viognier, rousanne, and Albariño. Creamy throughout. Nice acidic lemon-lime finish. Great with scallops. Surprisingly good! — 7 years ago

Amanda bee

9.5

Sweet, perfect red. — 7 years ago

Manjiry Tamhane

8.9

Lots of black fruit flavours balanced with pepper and cedar wood spice. Lots going on! — 7 years ago

Julieta Ho

9.1

Good pinot noir from new Zealand. Smooth good finishing and not heavy, it pairs well with all sort of dishes, even with a pasta and scallop. — 8 years ago

Sara Lee

9.0

Sanctuary Vineyards Coastal Collage, wonderful red blend. — 9 years ago

Michael Mathews

9.1

Happy B'day to my lovely wife, Michele. @ the Sanctuary downtown Minneapolis....
Loving this Girard...as this opens up, it becomes so supple...absolute beautiful blend...cheers!
— 9 years ago

Holly Ann

8.9

Tastes like victory — 9 years ago

Elise Fullford

9.3

Nags head wine — 10 years ago