About the Wine

The wines of El Enemigo are a tribute to those internal battles that make us who we are, brought to fruition by a winemaker, Alejandro Vigil, and a historian, Adrianna Catena. Year in and year out, the wines of Bodega Aleanna are heralded among the best wines of Argentina. With the 2017 Grand Enemigo SV Gualtallay, Vigil and Catena are able to capture the finest expression of terroir delivering unprecedented excellence with a style of wine that pays tribute to the old Pomerol style. This wine is a knockout, perfectly defined by its power and length! 

If you recognize the name, then you know this is also the winemaker for Catena Zapata, one of the preeminent wineries in Argentina. This project was launched with Adrianna Catena in 2007. The Cabernet Franc has vaulted from obscurity to one of the finest in the world, on par with Right Bank chateau that sells for 3-5 times as much.

Tasting Notes: 50% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot. Gran Enemigo SV Gualtallary shows a deep purple color with red highlights. Its aromas are intense and elegant. Cabernet Franc brings sweet spices, black pepper, and light notes of eucalyptus and thyme. Malbec brings notes of ripe black fruits, blackberries, and black cherries. The oak aging gives a touch of chocolate and vanilla to the blend. The wine is complex, sweet impact with structured tannins, and a very long and persistent finish. This wine was made in honor of the old Pomerol style where Cabernet Franc was blended with the other Bordeaux varieties.

Reviews

Aromas of violets, almond blossoms, wild blackberries, blueberries, ash, tea leaves and nutmeg. It’s medium-bodied with vibrant acidity and finely knit tannins. Mineral, tea-like edge, supporting a fresh core of blue fruit. Refined and subtle, yet comforting. Try from 2023. ~96 James Suckling. 

The blend 2017 Gran Enemigo was produced with 50% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot from Gualtallary and feels very creamy and undeveloped, ripe without excess but reflecting the warmer and drier year. The blend of grapes has produced a rounder and mellower wine, gentler but still with a very low pH and very good acidity with a dry, chalky-driven finish. This is more open and approachable than the rest of Gran Enemigo from this vintage. It fermented completely destemmed in barrel—it's the only Gran Enemigo that was destemmed, as the rest were 100% full clusters in 2017—and matured in ancient oak foudre. 20,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2018. ~95 Robert Parker.

The 2017 Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Gualtallary has a 15% dash of Malbec from Gualtallary, Uco Valley and was 30% fermented in whole bunches before aging for 15 months in barrels and foudres. A rich, dense purple thanks to the altitude, the complex, ripe nose presents notes of sour cherry and blackcurrant along with country herbs, jalapeño and ash. Juicy and intense with a compact flow, the core resounds with freshness underneath finely grained tannins and an energy that keeps the wine going. The very definition of power and flavor in which the varietal has been shaped by the terroir. ~95 Vinous Media.

El Enemigo obtains the grapes for this wine from the Adrianna vineyard, owned by Catena in the Monasterio area, at the foot of the Jaboncillo hills, in Gualtallary. Most of the blend (80%) is 25-year-old cabernet franc, and the rest malbec, all planted in calcareous and rocky soils. Three 15 months of aging in foudres, this one has the exuberant aromas of the area, of flowers and sour cherries in the midst of a rather friendly texture, but at the same time of intense acidity, full of edge. Another of the Single Vineyard Great Enemies not to play for at least five years. ~95 Descorchados.

~95 Tim Atkin.

The aromatic nose shows notes of cumin, green bell pepper and red fruit. Medium- to full-bodied, the palate features chalky tannins and lively acidity, structuring the juicy cherry and red plum flavors. A touch of sweet spice adds complexity. The finish is medium in length and has a pleasant fresh aftertaste. ~91 Wine Enthusiast. 

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