El Enemigo

Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2022

Alejandro Vigil en Adrianna Catena hebben met El Enemigo een van de spannendste wijnadressen van Argentinië opgebouwd – en de Gran Enemigo Gualtallary behoort tot hun grote meesterwerken. De extreme hoogte, kalkrijke bodems en het consequent afzien van houtrijping geven deze cabernet franc een fascinerende combinatie van concentratie, frisheid en bijna bourgondische finesse.

The 2022 Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Gualtallary includes 15% Malbec. This fermented with 40% whole bunches, harvested in stages across 1.5 months and aged for 15 months in concrete. Intensely complex, it opens with aromas of mountain herbs—huacatay and heterotheca—along with redcurrant, violet and red fruit. This is a dry, vibrant and fruit-driven expression. It offers chalk, airy concentration, juicy texture and a core of ash. This is weightless, stretching the flavor with crystalline definition. It is a site-driven Cabernet Franc that is shaped by its terroir and polished by the vintage. The 2022 is magic.

The firm, structured nature of the 2022 vintage, combined with the move to concrete fermentations, has produced a spectacular wine in the 2022 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard, which, to an even greater degree than many of its companions on the lineup, will demand time in bottle to fully realize its potential. A vivid, minimalist nose of radiant red fruits and pure stony essence introduces an incredibly dense, concentrated mouthfeel with zero excess weight and the beguiling, nimble quality that characterizes the region's best expressions. It culminates in a striking finish that echoes the nose's minimal nature, lingering with a crystalline sense of chalky minerality and ultrarefined tannins, with a complete absence of fruit that in no way feels lacking. There is a stark sophistication here that is quite compelling, and I imagine it will merit an even higher score after at least another five years in the bottle.