By Dwight Casimere
Marques de Casa Concha is one of Chile’s most emblematic wines and winemaker Marcelo Papa is considered a master of his craft. A recent virtual tasting of his Marques de Casa Concha Heritage 2020 ($75), led by Papa via Zoom from his winery in Chile, also featured a selection of cheeses from Brooklyn Larder.
Marques de Casa Concha Heritage 2020 is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, all from the El Mariscal vineyard which is more than a thousand feet above sea level. Growing conditions are perfect with mineral-rich soils of alluvial origin. A strong influence of winds from the Andes Mountains extends the ripening process, creating grapes with intense aromas and concentrated flavors.
As winemaker and technical director of Concha Y Toro, Marcelo Papa is involved in every aspect of the winemaker process from the vineyard to the bottle. “In 2020, we had a glorious season in Maipo. We had a good amount of rain and higher humidity, which made the Cabernet absolutely happy! The grapes showed more opulent fruit, sweet fruit, black fruit that showed elegance and juiciness. This helped to create a really nice wine.”
It is possible to age Concha Heritage 2020 for as long as ten years, and the wine will still have youth and vitality. However, most of the people I know who enjoy wine, want wines that are ready to drink now.
“The beauty about this wine is that there are parts of it that make it ready to drink now. There’s juiciness and a smoothness and elegance that comes through the moment you taste it. I like this wine with grilled meats and firm, strong cheeses.”
A sampling of cheeses that make excellent companions for the wine are Moliterno al Tartufo, an Italian cheese aged for 6 months with truffles.
Mimi Lotte is an interesting hard cheese from France that resembles a cantaloupe.
Red Lancaster, a hard cow’s milk cheese similar to cheddar is one of my personal favorites. Its history goes back to the 17th century, and it is still made from unpasteurized cow’s milk as it was in the beginning.
Crown Jewel has a unique pedigree. A collaborative effort between Wisconsin cheese maker Chris Roelli of Roelli Cheese Haus in Wisconsin, Crown Jewel is aged at Crown Finish Caves in subterranean Brooklyn. For more visit marquesdecasaconcha.com/en.
Dwight Casimere is TTW Food, Wine, Entertainment Editor –