El Enemigo 2012 Gualtallary Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Wine Reviews

El Enemigo 2012 Gualtallary Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc

review by Patricio Tapia • September 22, 2016

Leading up to our Top 100 in San Francisco, our critics are sharing some favorite wines that will be poured at the event. We’re posting a new note each day through October 10th.

Join us at the Top 100 Tasting in San Francisco on October 10th to taste this wine. Grab your tickets today!

Although there are barely 1,700 acres planted to cabernet franc in Argentina (compared to 260,000 acres of malbec), the community of good examples is growing. This Gran Enemigo is one of the best. A selection from the Adrianna Vineyard, planted by the Catena winery at 4,757 feet in the Uco Valley, it’s luscious and fleshy, the flavors of red fruits piqued by herbal notes that offer a sense of freshness. The grainy grip of the tannins is a Gualtallary signature, calling for steak au poivre.

Patricio Tapia

is the author of Descorchados, an annual guide to the wines of South America, and covers Chile for W&S.

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TAGS Argentina Cabernet Franc Mendoza Top 100 Countdown

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Patricio Tapia
Senior Correspondent

After graduating with a degree in journalism from the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, Patricio Tapia attended Bordeaux University in France, where he studied for a diploma in wine tasting and winemaking. Since then, he has visited wine regions around the world and authored several books, including his annual Descorchados, a Chilean wine guide; The Wines of Colchagua Valley; TodoVino and Wines for Great Occasions. Tapia is also the South American correspondent for The Oxford Companion to Wine, The World Atlas of Wine and Oz Clarke’s Pocket Wine Book. For the past three years, he’s been a host on the El Gourmet channel in South America. At Wine & Spirits, Tapia is the critic for the wines of Argentina, Chile and Spain, and regularly contributes articles on these regions.