2013 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard (100/100pts)

The BIG enemy (or maybe not so ‘Gran Enemigo’ after all) 2013 vintage has just arrived, and ALL on the same day that the Argentine National football team where ruthlessly? thrown out of that football match in Russia. Any link here? who knows, but anyway, El Gran Enemigo (enemy) or she, La Enemiga, 2013 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard landed here last week with a whopping 100, YES! 100 Cabernet Franc points, thanks to what is still called Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (WA), even though Herr Parker himself sensibly sold his publication a few years back now for a huge amount of Singaporean chanting-dollars. And whilst we are on the subject of economics. No one still really knows anymore the true value, or to put it bluntly, the real cost involved to gain the big 100 pointer, perfect score, perfect wine accolade in this WA wine journal. The brains? behind 2013 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard are shared by Señor y Señorita (in that order) A.Vigil and L.Catena. They both sure as hellfire do know what the costs are involved here, but like all good promoters of great and successful Argentine bodegas, these days, they tend to keep the magic numbers pretty close to their own palates. As a wee unbelievable footnote here, they managed to squeeze in another 100 pointer on the same day, what!?  As the stock of this wine doesn’t actually exist on the market until the year 2020, I am not going to bother to give you any further information except for it’s name: 2016 Adriana Vineyard River Stones, or something like that.

Q? How many 100 point wines (apparently perfect wines) have you ever tried dear reader?

Me? Well none! not knowingly, anyway.

I have bought and sold chunks of them, for sure, over the years, but my perfect wine is normally, quite frankly the wine that sits in my glass right now as I sip and I type away in this very moment. It’s the wine in your glass, as it where, the one that you have chosen to drink and that you are enjoying right now! I hope. How on earth can a wine really have any points at all in the first place, it’s a bit limiting no? but that is such a boring point to follow on with, so let us now move on to some good news.

By the way, I am in no way trying to put you off drinking 100 point wine at all,  I hope, or paying for them of course, as I am now about to tell you that I have managed to secure 5 cases (by the way there are six bottles in each sealed wooden case, if you wanted a whole case that is) of this Mendocian red nectar, from the Gualtallary vineyard NOT Agrelo vineyard that so easily can be confused as both wines share exactly the same label, from the same stable with just the one word of difference on the label, the single vineyard. Now, not being the greedy old sod that you all think I am, there is an ‘in bond’ price of, wait for it … ummmm, of $4,995 per bottle (breath again please as those are Argentine pe$os not U$Ds). No case discounts here thank you very much. Today, is 2nd of July 2018, and if you grab a calculator (do they till exist? by the way) and divide $4,995 by 28, you’ll get the U$dollar price equivalent per bottle ($178.39), and then it’s up to you to re-calculate it into your own currency and then if you want a bottle delivered to your home, please do also remember to add on your local VAT/IVA, and so long as you do not live in Mozambique, or The Silly Isles  for that matter, i’ll even pay for the shipping within London and UK, so long as these stocks actually last. Let’s see.

So, take it easy, just relax, take your time, I cannot really explain, but it’s the same old story, think of everything you have got (in your wine cellar), for you will still be here tomorrow, but your dream-wine may not.

Here’s the all important ”tasting note” from Señor Gutierrez (Wine Advocate – 237, tasted in June 2018), as I will not be tasting it unless someone invites me to, sorry.

I was really looking forward to tasting the 2013 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard since all of the previous vintages have been truly exceptional, and I wanted to see what it would be in a cooler year. The bottled wine contains perhaps 15% Malbec in the blend, and they will soon stop mentioning Cabernet Franc on the label. It fermented in 500-liter oak barrels with 50% of the Cabernet Franc and all of the Malbec and then matured in used oak foudres. It’s very intense and powerful, but at the same time, there is a kind of lightness on the palate that makes if feel light on its feet but with great inner power. There is citrus acidity that makes it effervescent and electric. It has some 7.5 grams of acidity and a pH of 3.45, very healthy parameters. The peppery character appears after some time, giving it a Chinon-like twist, and it also reminds me of my favorite Bordeaux, Pomerol’s Lafleur. This is definitely world-class and worth lying down, as it should develop further complexity in bottle. This is one of those wines where the only improvement I can think of is having magnums rather than bottles. Bravo! Some 3,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2016.

Score: 100/100