El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Red Blend 2020

For Gran Enemigo, Alejandro combines Mendoza’s winemaking techniques with his own experience. Gran Enemigo is a beautiful collage of the best plots from the Aleanna (El Enemigo) winery in Mendoza, Argentina. It is made from a coupage of 5 varieties: Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, grown in vineyards located in Gualtallary, at 1,470 metres above sea level, with a variety of soils like sandy loam (Malbec), limestone and rock (Cabernet Franc) and deep sandy soils (Cabernet Sauvignon); while the Petit Verdot variety comes from a vineyard located in Agrelo, at 930 metres above sea level, with predominantly sandy soils.

After harvest, the grapes are fermented in French oak barrels and then aged for 18 months in special 3,000-liter barrels that Alejandro modeled after those used in Mendoza a century ago. To recreate these historic barrels he imported Alsatian barrels and then carefully reassembled them in Mendoza.

The varieties are harvested at 5 different times, with one and a half months between the first and last harvest. The grapes undergo an initial cold maceration (5 days) and then macerate for 23 days at a controlled medium temperature, with 30% of the bunches whole. Fermentation is carried out in barrels, using native yeasts, at a controlled temperature of 22°C. The resulting wine is aged for 15 months in 100-year-old foudres.

The result is a very special Bordeaux-style blend with a distinctive Argentine touch. The nose is remarkably complex with notes of bitter cocoa, licorice and rich berries, while the first sip shows a generous, full body, soft tannins and a very long finish with notes of sweet spice from the oak aging. A great wine to drink now with hearty red meat dishes or to add to the cellar for another decade or so.