Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)

Arietta's 2011 Red Wine H Block is bright, focused and energetic, with beams of salinity that provide support. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, mint, pomegranate and star anise give the 2011 an intriguing, exotic character. The 2011 has enough acidity and structure to age gracefully for a number of years. This is another strong 2011 from Arietta.

Vinous (93)

(an 85/15 blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon): Bright, green-tinged yellow. Lovely perfume combines pungent lime skin, stone fruits, lemon drop and essential oils. Dense, sappy and opulent yet somehow weightless, conveying a powerful impression of energy to the flavors of nectarine, lime oil and honey. The semillon contributes roundness. Finishes sexy and long, in need of a year or so in bottle to develop more complexity. Always a splendid blend.

Vinous (94)

Since 2015, this wine has been made using grapes from two vineyards located about a thousand meters above sea level, one in Angélica in Lunlunta, Maipú, and the other in Nicasia in San Carlos, Uco Valley, both harvested in two stages and fermented in open barrels, 20% with whole bunches. Dark purple in the glass. The alluring nose delivers ripe dark fruit with hints of herbs and fine wood that make for a balsamic red with further notes of thyme and violets. Sugary at first with good volume; the gentle tannins allow the wine to flow genially in a classical, nuanced Mendoza Malbec style.

James Suckling (99)

This is made from over 100-year-old vineyards and offers blackberries with blue fruit and dark chocolate. Shows bark and black truffle undertones, too. Tight and more focused than in past vintages. The quality of the tannins is more precise and fine. Blackberries and black truffles at the end. Drink or hold.

Each case contains one bottle of each:

El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Agrelo 2016 (1x75cl)
El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Chacayes 2016 (1x75cl)
El Enemigo Gran Enemigo El Cepillo 2016 (1x75cl)
El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Gualtallary 2016 (1x75cl)

Wine Advocate (100)

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!

1 x 75cl - Gualtallary 2011 – 98 points (WA)
1 x 75cl - Gualtallary 2012 – 98+ points (WA)
1 x 75cl - Gualtallary 2013 – 100 points (WA)
1 x 75cl - Gualtallary 2014 – 98 points (WA)

El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Gualtallary is a single vineyard (Gualtallary) production combining Cabernet Franc (dominant) and Malbec. After near misses in 2011 and 2012 in 2013 this amazing duo of winemakers produced the perfect wine in 2013. Wine Advocate critic Luis Gutiérrez said the 2013 reminded him of Pomorol’s Lafleur and was “definitely world class” and “worth laying down”. The 2013 has a drinking window to 2030 and all these wines will benefit from a decade of aging. Only around 3,000 bottles are produced, of this incredible wine (far less than wines like Screaming Eagle at 5,000-9,000).

The super high scores and tiny production mean that this is a lovely vertical for collectors or investors to own.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (95-98)

(picked during the first half of October): Good medium ruby. Smoky aromas of ripe plum, black raspberry and minerals. Plush, very fine-grained and sweet, with lively harmonious acidity giving outstanding lift to the dense yet juicy middle palate. This is barely 14% alcohol and shows near-perfect balance. It's sure to be one of the wines of the vintage and will merit a score toward the higher end of my projected range if it continues to put on weight in barrel.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (93)

Gorgeous plum colour, sumptuous and ready to dive into. The aromatics are deliciously open, with crunchy raspberry and blueberry fruits, balanced and well put together. Feels cohesive, juicy, with plenty of 2019 character (although this is multi vintage, with exact percentages not stated), with nuanced fresh mint leaf and crayon. High Cabernet Sauvignon in this blend, 60% new oak, 40% one year oak, bottled August 2021.

An expression of the chalkiest and most mineral-heavy parcel within the Uco Valley, PerSe Gualtallary Inseparable is the latest addition to PerSe’s line-up and is a “good introduction to their portfolio”. Sourced from the central parcel of the Monasterio vineyard, this is a “classical Gualtallary” that made its debut in 2018. Thunderously applauded as an “impressive inaugural vintage”, it was awarded 95 points from Decanter and 94 points from the Wine Advocate.

Hand-picked, fermented in concrete and aged for 14 months in neutral French oak, this is a lifted and refined style of Malbec. Gutiérrez, who finds this wine “hard to resist” (WA), is mesmerized by the “very pure and floral” aromas and a palate that reveals “velvety texture and round tannins with citrus freshness” (WA).

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2019 Inseparable comes from the original vineyard planted by the monks in the Monasterio del Cristo Orante in Gualtallary Monasterio at 1,450 meters above sea level. The destemmed grapes fermented in concrete with indigenous yeasts and matured in concrete for one year, different from the first vintage that matured in oak. 2019 was a cold and wet year when they picked in early April in a year with a small ripening, the last vineyard they harvest. The nose has flowers and dark fruit and notes of graphite and earth, and the palate has a strong chalky sensation. It's ripe at 14.5% alcohol and juicy, with good freshness and acidity (pH 3.5 after malolactic and 6.2 grams of tartaric acid). It's a serious and somewhat austere red. 7,700 bottles were filled in March 2020. It was a good yielding year.

In the exalted world of viticulture, the Schrader Assortment Case 2010 carries a reputation of distinction. Masterfully crafted in the scenic surrounds of California’s Napa Valley, it showcases the producer’s profound commitment to creativity and excellence through each individual vineyard lot. Fred Schrader, a globally recognised vintner, harmoniously melds tradition with pioneering techniques to yield varieties deluged with complex aromas and sumptuous flavours.

The assortment case unveils a thoughtful collection of single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon wines, each distinctly expressing the distinctive character of its respective vineyard. These wines are formulated from 100% new French oak barrels, yielding an exotic blend of plush textures and a profound depth of flavour. The Schrader Assortment Case 2010, with its abundance of blackcurrant, chocolate and spice on the palate, offers a tantalising wine adventure like no other, making it an absolute must for fine wine connoisseurs.

Wine Advocate (97+)

(The Third Twin Graciano 2014) A blend of 90% Graciano and 10% Mourvèdre, completely destemmed and then aged all in used oak barrels for around 27 months, the 2014 The Third Twin Graciano sports a very deep garnet-purple color and beguiling nose of espresso, tapenade, preserved plums and Indian spices with earth and licorice nuances. The densely packed, full-bodied palate has a firm backbone of grainy tannins and lovely freshness, with loads of earthy layers and fantastic length, which features buckets of exotic spices. This is the first edition of this single vineyard wine, coming entirely from The Third Twin Vineyard in Los Alamos, showcasing not only the potential of this amazing site but of this grape variety in the region. Manfred Krankl commented, “Of course I realize this is a Spanish variety, but I think God...or someone...made a slight mistake along the way, as the grape very much reminds me of the Rhône.” Positively the finest example of this grape I have ever tasted, move over Spain, Graciano has found a new spiritual home in California’s Central Coast! 65 cases were made. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 30 Sep 2017) (The Third Twin Graciano 2015) Graciano is a low-yielding Spanish variety grown primarily in Rioja, but Krankl contends that its spiritual home is the Rhône Valley: it reminds him of Mourvèdre in so far as it needs to be very ripe to show all its character, he says. And it's certainly a striking addition to his winemaking palate, with a character quite distinct to any of the other red varieties he works with. Offering up aromas of cherry pit and balsamic cherries, subtly framed by creamy new oak, the 2015 The Third Twin Graciano is amazingly saturated in color. On the palate, it's velvety, full-bodied and richly tannic, almost preternaturally concentrated in character, but remarkably supple and expansive despite its formidable levels of extract and structure. It's a singular wine, even by Krankl's standards. (William Kelley, ,23 Aug 2018)