El Enemigo Mendoza Gran Enemigo Reviews
Learn More About El Enemigo Mendoza Gran Enemigo Through its Reviews.
2020 El Enemigo Mendoza Gran Enemigo Reviews
This wine is a blend of 50% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot.
95 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“Tasting three vintages, I see great regularity in the blended Gran Enemigo. The 2020 Gran Enemigo was produced with 50% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot from Gualtallary, going back to the usual blend. The wine shows exceptionally well, as some wines can show a bit ripe and sometimes fatigued in this warmer year, but this is fresh and lively, expressive, and with a solid palate with restraint and balance and no excess. The texture is velvety from very fine tannins, and there's juicy fruit with no concession for sweetness. It has similar parameters to the other vintages I tasted next to it, with 13.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.4. This is still very young.”
2019 El Enemigo Mendoza
Gran Enemigo Reviews
This wine is a blend of 40% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot.
96 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The blend of the 2019 Gran Enemigo changed to 40% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot from Gualtallary, in a year when they used less Malbec and more Cabernet. It has restrained 13.5% alcohol and an incredibly balanced palate, very tasty and juicy, with impressive herbal notes intermixed with ripe berries. If there's something these wines don't have, it's sweetness. They are austere and complete, serious and designed for the long run.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
95 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“Showcasing Alejandro Vigil’s skills as a blender, this has a Malbec base with the remaining 60% made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and a little Merlot and Petit Verdot. Floral, ripe, and very lightly wooded, it has impressive texture and weight, some whole bunch spices, plum, bramble, and black cherry fruit, and good underlying zip and minerality.”
2018 El Enemigo Mendoza Gran Enemigo Reviews
This wine is a blend of 50% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot.
96 Pointz James Suckling
“Currants, blackberries, blueberries, lemon zest, thyme, green olives, and licorice on the nose. Cardamom and iodine, too. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, plush tannins. There’s a delicious savory and salty quality to the ripe dark fruit. Textured and complex.”
95 Pointz Vinous
“The 2018 Gran Enemigo is 50% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot from Gualtallary, Uco Valley, and was aged for 18 months in foudres. Garnet red in the glass. The fragrant nose presents balsamic notes of ripe plum, herb, blackberry, and aromas from the aging process as well as a hint of bay leaf followed by a volatile twist. Broad but taut with firm tannins and a juicy core, the finish lingers at length. A complex wine.”
95 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 2018 Gran Enemigo was produced with 50% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot from Gualtallary, with only 13.5% alcohol, which is restrained in this low-yielding year when they had to harvest early. It has fantastic acidity and freshness and comes through as balanced with very tasty flavors, berries, herbs, and spices. It has a medium to full-bodied palate and very fine tannins.”
93 Pointz Wine Spectator
“Complex, rich, and well-structured, showing spice and cedar notes amid blackberry and plum flavors, with peppery accents checking in midpalate. Ends with notes of dark chocolate and firm tannins.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
95 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“Blending is second nature to Alejandro Vigil, so it’s no surprise that this assemblage of Malbec with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot is so seamless and self-assured. Elegant, perfumed, and intense, it combines cassis and blackberry fruit with fine-grained tannins and impressive palate length.”
2017 El Enemigo Mendoza Gran Enemigo Reviews
This wine is a blend of 50% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot.
97 Pointz James Suckling
“A refined, medium-to full-bodied red with aromas of blackberry, bitter chocolate, violets, tar, and tobacco. Ultra-fine tannins, interwoven with silky and seamless layers of dark berries. So elegant and fine. Long. Serious and focused with fantastic depth and structure.”
96 Pointz Vinous
“The 2017 Gran Enemigo is half Malbec and 15% Cabernet Franc, 155 Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot from Gualtallary, Uco Valley, along with a 10% dash of Petit Verdot from Lujan de Cuyo. It was 30% fermented with stems and aged in French barrels and foudres. The complex nose delivers notes of plum jam, black tea, mint and herbs combined with redcurrants and notes from the aging process such as cedar and ash. In the mouth, it’s intense with a vigorous flow and firm, tannic structure in which the freshness and concentration help to create an easygoing but substantial style before the lengthy finish, which is full of nuanced aromas.”
95 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“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.”
92 Pointz Wine & Spirits
“Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catena make this malbec-focused blend at their winery in the southern foothills of Maipú. Cabernets sauvignon and franc dominate the aromas, red and spicy, flecked with cedar. Once you drink it, though, there’s no mistaking the weight of malbec. Peppercorn spice adds some complexity to the dark, powerful fruit, and the sappy finish recalls the cedar up front. It’s rich, but there’s just enough freshness to dial it back to a nice place.”
91 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
“This Malbec-dominant blend opens with earthy and dark chocolate notes followed by aromas of ripe blackberry. It’s balanced and has smooth tannins framing black fruit, spices, and coffee bean flavors. The finish is long with oaky notes in the aftertaste. It’s very enjoyable.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
96 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“A high-density vineyard with 10,000 vines per hectare in Gualtallary supplies the fruit for this five-way assemblage of mostly Malbec with 50% Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Chalky, focused, nuanced, and very refreshing, it’s a beautifully judged red blend, with lavender and wet stone aromas, layers of bramble and black cherry fruit, and perfumed oak.”
94 Pointz Decanter
“Crunchy dark black fruit with some lovely spicy underlying aromas in the most subtle of ways. Dense and opulent mid-palate.”
2016 El Enemigo Mendoza Gran Enemigo Reviews
This wine is a blend of 50% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot.
97 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The varietal blend of the 2016 Gran Enemigo is slightly different from the 2015 I tasted next to it; here, there's a bit more Cabernet Franc and less Cabernet Sauvignon, so 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Malbec, 10% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, but the wine was produced exactly the same: vinification (wild fermentation, shortish maceration) and élevage (in large used French oak vats), so what we see here are the differences provided by the year. 2016 was a very unusual vintage, when they saw more rain than ever (they didn't irrigate the vineyards), and the average temperature was much lower. It was not an easy year, especially in the classical zone of Mendoza, but in Gualtallary, where these grapes come from, it was a truly excellent harvest, one of the best in recent times (until 2018 came). The wine is fresher and more nuanced than the 2015, and there is clout and power but also a lot of finesse and elegance. The palate revealed superb harmony and very fine tannins, the acidity is very integrated and the wine is seamless, with fine chalky minerality and a bitterness in the finish that is salty rather than sweet. There is no room for sweetness in any of these wines; these are savory wines, powerful wines with superb balance and all the ingredients to develop slowly and for a very long time in bottle and destined for the dining table. It fills your mouth, but it's not heavy; it's powerful but feels ethereal. This is probably the finest vintage for this bottling so far.”
96 Pointz James Suckling
“This is very floral and has such an impressive layering of aromas, flavors, and textures. Summer berries and plums with lightly chalky, pastry notes on the nose, leading to a palate with such smooth, caressing texture. So astutely blended and seamlessly elegant. Medium body. Deep flavor.”
95 Pointz Vinous
“A blend of 50% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot from the Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo, aged in barrels and foudres. Bright purple in the glass. The intense, complex nose delivers bold notes of plum, black currant, blackberry, blueberry, and orange zest plus a hint of pyrazine, followed by layers of roasted red pepper, oaky spices, and herbs. A profound wine with lively but gentle tannins, firm acidity (pH 3.45), and good body. Lengthy, complex finish. All the different flavors of Mendoza combined.”
94 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
“Hints of rosemary and mint lend freshness to rich flavors of ripe black cherry and plum in this elegant blend. It is loaded with raspberry, black cherry, green bell pepper, and perfectly integrated toasted oak flavors. The structured palate offers fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins. It has a lingering delicious finish.”
92 Pointz Wine Spectator
“Well-structured and full of a zesty mix of concentrated dark fruit, hot spice, and forest floor flavors. Chocolate torte notes on the powerful finish, with hints of fresh ground coffee bean. Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
93 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“This high-altitude site, located at 1,470 metres, is planted with Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and a little Petit Verdot and is picked in five different stages to achieve optimum ripeness. Zesty, floral, and fresh with cut grass and wild herb aromas, subtle oak, and a focused, almost chiselled finish.”
93 Pointz Decanter
“Alejandro Vigil has made Cabernet Franc from four different vineyards in the Uco Valley, and this one from the Los Chacayes GI has turned out to be the most wild and original of the quartet. A deep violet in colour, the floral nose offers a decent amount of red fruit, berries, and spice from an ageing process that managed to tame the natural power of the terroir. Velvety in the mouth with juicy acidity and chalky tannins, this is a red for daring palates.”
2015 El Enemigo Mendoza Gran Enemigo Reviews
This wine is a blend of 50% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot.
95 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“A red blend from Gualtallary, the 2015 Gran Enemigo is 50% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, cropped from a year that could be compared with a slightly cooler version of 2012 matured in used 2,000- and 4,000-liter oak foudres for 18 months. There is a little more Malbec here compared with previous years. The wine is a powerful and serious blend, with all the varieties very integrated, solid, compact, and still very young. It's quite classical, with nicely integrated oak and notes of sweet spices, black cherries, and an herbal touch, with good maturity and a medium to full-bodied palate, round tannins, a soft mouthfeel but with good grip. There is great balance, purity of flavors, and a clean, focused, and very long finish.”
90 Pointz Wine Spectator
“Vibrant, with dried red berry and cherry flavors, matched to lively minerality and cigar box notes. Dried herbal accents show on the savory finish. Malbec blend.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
96 Pointz Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
“Using the classic El Enemigo blend of Cabernet Franc with 15% Malbec, this is one of a line up of stunning wines from the bodega in 2015. Firmer and denser than the other Gran Enemigo reds, with top notes of Mediterranean spices and lots of chalky minerality, it needs more time in bottle, but will reward patience.”