El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Gualtallary 2020

Cellar for up to 16 years. Decant 1 hour before serving. El Enemigo was founded in 2009 by historian Adrianna Catena, the youngest daughter of legendary Argentine winemaker Nicolas Catena, and Catena Zapata’s chief winemaker, Alejandro Vigil. The two friends were inspired to create a wine label together that would celebrate both Argentina’s youthful winemaking culture and the rich viticultural heritage of Europe. To create this majestic Gran Enemigo cuvee Alejandro draws on his wealth of winemaking experience and top quality grapes sourced from a single vineyard in the prized Mendoza sub-region of Tupungato. The vineyard sits at the foot of the mighty Andes Mountains and are irrigated by melted snow running down from the peaks. Set at an altitude of up to 1400 metres above sea level, this location is perfect for producing this premium Cabernet Franc thanks to the sunny days with plenty of UV light and cooler nights which help preserve freshness. The quality of this special wine has already been recognised by Robert Parker who awarded it a near-perfect 99 point score. The grapes are carefully harvested by hand during 4 passes through the vineyard to ensure perfect ripeness, with a lengthy and slow fermentation and maceration carried out in the barrel. The final result is a powerful wine that is reminiscent of the finest Pomerols with ample notes of cassis, crushed wild berries, leather and cigar box spice from the barrel ageing.

Price: £76.56 from 8wines UK