First nose:
Nice rounded vanilla, almost overpowering vanilla. Cherry, definitely, maybe mixed with grape jelly, but also cranberry juice. There is also something green in there, some vegetable deep in the lower-half of the nose.
First palate:
Alcohol needs some time to mellow, that is for certain. This is not a pop-n-drink wine. Nice (IMHO) chalky tannins that some would likely call dry, but it is not too tight … this is something we really, really enjoy. Definitely a bold cab. OAK. Made us want to move it all around in our mouths. Spicy fruit; colors of the rainbow.
Later nose:
After three hours the nose was much more balanced between the fruit and the vanilla (oak). Nice ocean breeze, perhaps clean-wet laundry. Something smoky in there too. Again something green; green beans? A grasshopper was thrown in, maybe by accident?!?
Later palate:
After good aeration the chalky tannins mellowed considerably and displayed unsweetened chocolate in the mid-palate with some rusty cherries; a bit harsh on the finish and still very hot with alcohol.
(Click here for an explanation of our ratings ...)
Our Rating: 91
Would we drink it again? 
Not necessarily; neither Darcey nor I feel we want to drink this again any time soon, but we both agreed that it held our interest, for a while at least, and we wouldn’t dump it if someone brought us some. You should know that we are wine-first people, and food-pairing is not our goal at this point (we drink more than we eat, believe it or not); by the end of the bottle we were sort of just drinking it and not oohing and ahhhing.
Would we buy it again?
No, there are too many others at this price point that are worth trying before buying this one again. This is a great effort, however, and worth seeking out if you've never tried it.
Winemaker's notes
The grapes for this Cabernet Sauvignon come from the Puente Alto Vineyard in the Maipo Valley, Chile's most celebrated wine region.
Color: Bright, deep red.
Bouquet: Cherry, chocolate, black tar and smoke.
Taste: A smooth, almost silky texture with a long finish. Concentrated and full bodied.
In 1883, Don Melchor de Concha y Toro and his wife, Doña Emiliana Subercaseaux, brought the most noble of the Bordeaux region's wine grape stocks to Chile, founding Viña Concha y Toro. Don Melchor planted his first vines in the Maipo Valley, and it was there that he built his home, known today as the Casona de Pirque. In October 1994, Concha y Toro became the first Chilean winery to have its shares traded on the New York stock exchange.
In 1997, Eduardo Guilisasti and Baronness Philippine de Rothschild endorsed a joint venture between Concha y Toro and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, creating Viña Almaviva. Its goal was to produce the first Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé equivalent in Chile, a "Primer Orden" wine. Concha y Toro contributed 40 hectares of its best Puente Alto vineyards for the production of Almaviva, and built a château-type cellar for this unique wine, to be run the same way as for a "Grand Cru Classé".
Dedicated to producing wines of unprecedented quality that fully demonstrate the potential of Chile's natural resources, Concha y Toro has become the quality leader in Chilean winemaking.
About the Maipo Valley
[mah-EE-poa] Also called Valle del Maipo, this is Chile's oldest and most famous growing area. It's a subregion within the larger central valley region and lies just south of Santiago, Chile's capital city. Although Maipo isn't the largest area, it contains a considerable concentration of vineyards and a large representation of important producers, largely due to its close proximity to Santiago. Ocean breezes and elevation provide a number of cool growing areas within the region. The official areas within the Maipo Valley are Buin, Isla de Maipo, Melipilla, Pirque, Pueto Alto, Santiago, and Talagante. For the most part, this is red-wine country, with cabernet sauvignon the most celebrated and widely planted variety. There are also good examples of chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, and sémillon being produced.
