“A consistently impressive Chardonnay that highlights purity and saline minerality.” - James Suckling, 96 points

I can’t always identify why I like or dislike something or someone, the details often get lost, while the gist remains. If I see someone that I vaguely recognise approaching me in the street, my facial recognition software kicks in and, almost simultaneously, my sub-conscious points its beam towards either a positive or a negative emotion. It doesn’t have time to unscroll a long list, itemising all my previous interactions with that person and all the myriad checks and balances either in their favour or not. It just summarises everything into a neat binary calculation and I either give them a big smile or I cross the street.

The same thing often happens with wine. I taste a wine and I can’t explain why I love it, I can’t parse its harmonious whole into fractal elements, I just know I do. Perhaps my sub-conscious is doing the heavy-lifting in the darkness, comparing it to similar memories, assessing the positives and evaluating the outcome with all the mental dexterity of a card-counter at a casino, while my conscious brain takes all the credit.

This wine is a case in point. It’s delicious, but the complexities that make it so are so tightly-woven that I can’t pull the threads apart, so I just experience a visceral reaction, a gut-feeling that makes me relax into a state of satisfied contentment, in a very similar way to music (“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between,” said Mozart).

Anyway, I think you’ll find a new friend here in this complex mountain Chardonnay, aged for a year in large French oak barrels. It’s very stylish, very classy, two words that don’t have a specific meaning, but you will know it when you taste it. If I try and break the flavours down into discrete elements, I will have unravelled everything I have said above, so perhaps the way to enjoy it is to not think about it consciously. Just give it a big smile. 13% alc. Drink now-2032.

Press reviews:

James Suckling: "Salty and spicy, with aromas of ginger, cardamom, lemon, and sea salt. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, sharp and pungent, with a precise saline character. Rich, focused, and delicious. Made from grapes grown in Gualtallary. Fermented and aged in French oak, 35% of which is new. Drink now or cellar." 96 points

Vinous: “The 2023 Chardonnay El Enemigo comes from Gualtallary in the Uco Valley. Aged in 500 litre French oak barrels, it opens with green apple, chamomile, white peach, herbs and a subtle vermouth note. Dry, compact and saline, the oak broadens the palate, where richness is otherwise restrained. The 2023 is a modern, refined profile for Gualtallary Chardonnay in a warm vintage. Drink now-2033.“ 94 points

Tim Atkin MW: “Ale Vigil is partial to a touch of flor in his top whites, as long as it occurs naturally in the winery. This left-field Gualtallary Chardonnay is savoury, spicy and slightly salty, with a brine-like top note, lovely texture, subtle 35% new wood, hints of aniseed and wild thyme and a core of beeswax and citrus zest. Drink now-2029.” 94 points

Customer Comments:

”It is absolutely delicious!“ - Mrs A. P.

”We loved the El Enemigo in our recent order. The write-up on your site persuaded my to try it and it was absolutely spot on, a fabulous wine!” - Mr. D. M.

“I'm glad I bought El Enemigo, it was great!” - Mr. T.D.