Bodegas Aleanna ‘As Bravas’ Malbec, Argentina 2016
Once again, they have outdone themselves. Only they could achieve 100 Parker points (with the red Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard River); and only they could surpass themselves with El Enemigo As Bravas Malbec.
Oenologists Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catenna are on everyone's lips once more. The reason: this single-varietal, high-altitude malbec unlocks a new spectrum of exceptional reds, "the finest Malbec Gran Reserva I have ever tasted," intended to pay tribute to the most "fearless" and "valiant" women of Mendoza, the birthplace of this new gem. Specifically, El Enemigo As Bravas Malbec is cultivated in the Valle de Uco, on a very small plot—at 1,300 meters above sea level—in the I.G.P. Cordón El Cepillo, with very distinct soils where glacial moraine and marine limestone mix.
This very challenge, where Alejandro and Adrianna focus on crafting the most vibrant and robust malbec, was previously undertaken with cabernet sauvignon. And, as with the current endeavor, the results could not have been better. Only the high altitudes can provide that distinctly stony and mineral profile found in this long-aged wine. In particular, El Enemigo As Bravas Malbec undergoes an aging process of over four years in 2000-litre oak foudres, showcasing all the strength and potential it can boast. Alejandro and Adrianna aimed to demonstrate with this project what Argentine native grapes are capable of; and with El Enemigo As Bravas Malbec, they have succeeded.
“There is a new top of the range produced with pure Malbec from a very small plot in the Cordón El Cepillo. It's a cool place with a small slope in a mostly flat vineyard with very different soils and angular stones in a place that has glacier moraine, which is completely different from the rest of the vineyard. It makes the grapes ripen much earlier and gives a very strict and stony wine with a textured palate with abundant dusty tannins. 2016 was a super cold and rainy year, and the 2016 As Bravas Malbec has only 12.5% alcohol and incredible freshness. It's only medium-bodied with gobsmacking balance and is incredibly harmonious, nuanced and subtle, with all that it needs for a very long life in bottle. This is serious, tight, austere and incredibly elegant. It matured in 2,000-liter oak foudres for some 60 months. It was bottled in April 2022.
99 points, Luis Gutierrez for The Wine Advocate”