“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. 13.5% alc. Drink now-2030.

Press reviews:

James Suckling: "A consistently impressive Chardonnay that highlights purity and saline minerality. Salted lemons, sliced apples, seashells and stones drizzled with a touch of oak spice. Full-bodied yet tense and lightly saline on the palate, with bright acidity and a pure, lengthy finish. Nervy and simply delicious. Drink or hold." 96 points

Vinous: “The 2022 Chardonnay hails from Gualtallary in the Uco Valley. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels, with some under velo de flor, this bright green-gold wine reveals aromas of peaches and pears with a hint of cashew and a slightly oaky backdrop. Dry and lean, the palate lingers with a chalky mouthfeel. This is a modern high-altitude Chardonnay. Drink now-2031.“ 94 points

Tim Atkin MW: “Alejandro Vigil allows a little flor to develop on the surface of his complex Gualtallary Chardonnay, giving it a salty undertone. Flavours of oatmeal, orange peel and waxed lemons are complemented by some oak spice and sweetness and a drizzle of dried honey. Drink now-2028.” 93 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.