Gran Enemigo Agrelo 2020

Gran Enemigo Agrelo is a single-vineyard red from Bodega Aleanna, the Mendoza project of Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catena. The fruit comes from Agrelo, a district in the Luján de Cuyo zone known for its deep alluvial soils and stony subsoil, which give body and structure. The blend is led by Cabernet Franc with Malbec, the pairing Vigil has made his own. Agrelo sits at altitude in the Andean foothills, where warm days and cold nights hold the grapes' acidity and let them ripen slowly, fixing both the ripe dark fruit and the herbal, peppery aromatics of Cabernet Franc. Ageing runs to fifteen months in large foudres, where the slower oxygen exchange of big-format oak softens the firm tannins and integrates the wood quietly, leaving the fruit and site to lead. The wine is deep and dense in the glass. The nose offers ripe black fruit, redcurrant and spice over crushed herbs and a fine cedar frame. The palate is full and structured, with concentrated fruit, fine-grained tannin and bright altitude acidity running through a long finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant. It suits roast and grilled red meat and earthy mushroom dishes.