Gran Enemigo Gualtallary 2021

Gran Enemigo is the Cabernet Franc label from Alejandro Vigil at Bodega Aleanna, drawn from Gualtallary, one of the highest and stoniest sub-zones of the Uco Valley in Mendoza. Vines here grow at extreme altitude on soils rich in limestone and rounded river stones over sand. The altitude brings strong sunlight for ripening but very cold nights, and that wide diurnal swing locks in acidity and aromatic detail, while the calcareous, free-draining soils give the wine its mineral, savoury edge. Cabernet Franc leads, with Malbec filling the mid-palate, and the wine ages fifteen months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange knits the tannin and adds cedar and spice without burying the fruit. The colour is deep and bright. The nose is layered, with red and black cherry, plum, tobacco, dried herbs and a graphite, almost chalky note from the limestone, and the palate is structured and long, firm in tannin but precise rather than heavy, finishing on black pepper and earth. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant. It suits roast beef, grilled lamb and aged hard cheese.