Gran Enemigo Gualtallary 2018

EL ENEMIGO

Gran Enemigo Gualtallary
2018

Product code
868895
Format
1 x 3000ml
Listing type
Open
Status
Available
Type of product
Still wine
Country
Argentina
Regulated designation
Dénomination origine (DOC)
Region
Mendoza
Varietal(s)
Cabernet Franc 85 %
Malbec 15 %
Colour
Red
Sugar
Dry
Closure type
Cork
Producer's website

About this winery

El Enemigo, “the enemy”. The struggle that most defines us in our lives is the one that we wage with our selves. We are all our own worst enemies. This is the credo behind the name on the label. The wines of El Enemigo are enigmatic, charismatic, and verging on iconoclastic. In that way the wines reflect their maker, Alejandro Vigil, an almost Picasso-like personality. “Ale”, as he is known, is the head winemaker at the iconic Bodega Catena Zapata, but he has many loves. He consults,...

See the EL ENEMIGO detail page for more information on this brand

Product notes

Vineyards: Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot from Gualtallary, Tupungato, 1470 111 / 4,822 ft. High density (10.000 plants per hectare). Petit Verdot from Agrelo, 930 111 / 3051 ft.

Production notes

Fermentation in barrel, average temperature: 22°C. Cold maceration for 5 days. Averaoe maceration 23 days. 30% whole bunch. French oak barrels 2nd and 3rd use. 5 different harvest times (1,5 months between the first and the last one). 15 months in 100 year old foudre.

Press reviews

Wine Advocate

- 100 points -

November 2022 (Vintage 2019)

The incredibly subtle, elegant and austere 2019 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard reminds me of a great vintage of Lafleur, my favorite Bordeaux, as this is one of the finest vintages for this single-vineyard blend of Cabernet Franc with some 15% Malbec. It develops very slowly in the glass and shows layers and layers of aromas but all in a very subtle way. It also reminds me of the fabulous 2013 that I rated 100 points in 2018, and there has not been such a perfect vintage since then. It has great balance and a silky mouthfeel, with refined, elegant tannins and a long, dry finish with a chalky and salty sensation and no room for sweetness; it's more about herbs, flowers and rocks than anything else. They produced 9,000 bottles of this beauty. It was bottled in July 2020.

See detailed press review
James Suckling

- 100 points -

#1 Top 100 Wines of Argentina

November 2023 (Vintage 2019)

A complex, restrained and deliciously austere cabernet franc with damp earth, oyster shells, blueberries, thyme, rosemary and mushrooms. Super serious and chalky on the palate with lots of dissolved, minerally-textured tannins. Very long and uncompromising! An incredible cabernet franc from Gualtallary by Alejandro Vigil. Extremely pure, mineral and seductive. A fabulous cabernet franc that grows on the palate with remarkable tension and texture.

See detailed press review
Wine Advocate

- 98 points -

November 2022 (Vintage 2018)

One of the finest and more regular wines from Argentina, the 2018 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard is austere and shows restraint, with great freshness and gobsmacking balance and complexity, but in the context of the 2019 and 2020 vintages that I also tasted next to it, it comes thorough as slightly less refined but still with 13.5% alcohol and with very good parameters of acidity and freshness. It has a medium-bodied palate and a rare combination of power and elegance, with very fine, chalky tannins. It's very long and has a salty and tasty finish. It matured in centenary oak foudres for 15 months. 9,000 bottles were filled in July 2019.

See detailed press review
Descorchados

- 96 points -

December 2021 (Vintage 2018)

A savage example of Gualtallary, nearly 1,500 meters up in the northern Uco Valley. This is rich in herbal tones, as is dictated by the dominant variety (cabernet franc), especially if you consider that at this altitude, with the cool Andean conditions, that side is exacerbated. This is a perfumed and juicy red with savage tannins, as is usual in this zone, and the acidity corresponds to a mountain wine. This is 85% cabernet franc, and the rest is malbec, all aged in foudres for 15 months.

See detailed press review
Tim Atkin MW

- 96 points -

June 2022 (Vintage 2018)

The richest, darkest and most profound of the Gran Enemigo blends, this classic assemblage of Cabernet Franc and 15% Malbec is inky, intense and alluringly scented, with subtle wood, blackberry, black olive and wild thyme flavours and racy, chalky acidity.

See detailed press review
Decanter World Wine Awards

- 92 points -

June 2022 (Vintage 2018)

Perfumed with floral notes, plum and rich fruit; palate is fresh and elegant, with lea leaf and cigar box.

See detailed press review