2021 Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Chacayes Cabernet Franc Uco Valley

At more than 1,100 meters above sea level, Los Chacayes, in the Uco Valley, is one of the most talked about areas in Argentina today. And there is plenty to talk about. Its wild wines, offspring of the mountains and stony soils, are savage and full of fruit. Try this Gran Enemigo, for example, with 85% cabernet franc and 15% malbec aged in barrels more than 100 years old and restored by the winery, which offers a realistic painting of the area. The nose is full of herbs and tart black fruits, and the palate is structured from sharp and piercing tannins. It is a wine for aging, of course, but it is also one of those that one can play with by drinking it with an ample assortment of charcuterie.

A beautifully solid and refined red with blackcurrants, spices and hints of mint on the nose and palate and some graphite and granite notes. Medium-bodied with very fine and polished tannins that integrate extremely well into the wine. Needs three to four years to open but is already beautiful to taste. Drink after 2027.

The cool 2021 vintage brought nuanced layers to this blend of 85% Cabernet Franc and 15% Malbec, harvested from Los Chacayes in the Uco Valley. The 2021 Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Chacayes, aged for one year, offers a delightful mix of intensity and complexity. Deep purple in color, it presents mountain herb, violet, ripe plum, blackberry and pink grapefruit aromas, balanced by a backdrop of light ash from the aging process. Juicy, compact and with polished tannins, the wine glides over the palate with a gentle, structured flow. Long and flavorful, this is an exceptional mountain red.

Originating from alluvial limestone soils planted to 10,000 vines per hectare, the 2021 Gran Enemigo Chacayes Single Vineyard contains 15% Malbec, was barrel-fermented with 40% whole clusters and matured for 15 months in foudre. Its bouquet is equal parts floral and earth-tinged, bringing together purple flowers and turned-earth aromas against an elegantly dark fruited backdrop. The palate is slender and high-toned, driven by a palpably mineral-driven energy bolstered with a velvety, elegant richness. It culminates with a long, laser-focused, weightlessly intense, searingly mineral finish. As with the entire Gran Enemigo range, this never ceased to escalate and energize in the glass and should drink beautifully through its 15th birthday, at the least.

The 2021 Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Los Chacayes Single Vineyard is quite simply a “wow” wine that nearly defies description. The incredible perfume of violet and white pepper invites one in first, followed by crisp, complex layers of cassis and currant. Then there's tension and a punch of acidity, adding length, grace, and structure. It's the aging potential of another 20-30 years that ultimately puts a halo over it all that speaks most forcefully to the greatness of this wine.