BODEGA ALEANNA | El Enemigo | Bonarda | Single Vineyard | El Mirador | 2018
bonarda

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Today we are going to review a single varietal bonarda wine from the famous Mendoza region of Argentina – El Enemigo Bonarda Single Vineyard El Mirador 2018 by Bodega Aleanna. Bonarda, which is second most planted grape variety in Argentina, is not the same grape as bonarda from Italy, this bonarda (known as charbono in California, douce noir in Piedmont and croatina in Lombardy) found it’s second home at the foothill of the Andes Mountains and we believe, it is going to make a big splash in the coming years. El Enemigo is a thrilling wine project founded by the chief winemaker of Catena Zapata – Alejandro Vigil and historian Adrianna Catena, the daughter of Nicolas Catena, who helped put Argentina on the world map. This delicious wine is a cuvée, produced from a small, 5 hectare plot of very old bonarda vines, which were rescued by Alejandro, sourced from Rivadavia sub-region of Mendoza, which lies at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The grapes for this particular wine are sourced from high altitude vineyards, planted at 650 meters above sea level on sandy-rich soils. These unique conditions help produce a remarkably intense, powerful wine with perfect poise and balance thanks to the cool summer nights and long ripening season. The wine itself is aged for 15 months in 100-year old french oak founders. That said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: deep & noble ruby color
clarity: hazy ruby shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & leathery
fruit profile: black fruits | blue fruits
__black fruits: blackberry | black plum | black cherry | aronia berry | black mulberry
__blue fruits: blue plum | blueberry | honeyberry
fruit character: overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | savory
__spice: cloves | anise | peppercorn
__oak: mocha | liquorice | roasted oak | tobacco | cigar box
__savory: iron & leather
primary layer: fruit

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: medium+
__grip: ripe
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: voluptuous | medium+

//Taste
fruit profile: blue & black fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: medium+
aftertaste: crisp & seedy

//Scoring
BODEGA ALEANNA | El Enemigo | Bonarda | Single Vineyard | El Mirador | 2018
variety: bonarda
country: Argentina
region: Mendoza
rating: 93.9

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 3 to 5 more years
verdict: great | a must try wine

//Prediction
predicted rating: 91

//RP Rating
actual RP rating: 91

//All Ratings
The critics’ rating distribution: 92.5

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This is definitely a great wine of Argentina and, with a total of 93.9 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a voluptuous and delicate bonarda wine with a crisp & seedy palate and a very expressive, savory nose. The wine is still developing, therefore we would recommend to give it 3 to 5 more years of bottle ageing, in order to allow it to reach its full potential. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of overripe blue and black fruits in the foreground, followed by a spicy-oaky background and a noble, savory-rustic layer in between. On the palate the wine delivers exuberant acidity, ripe and fine-grained tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, leading to a seedy-crisp finale. All in all, this is a rich and extracted bonarda wine, that feels well balanced and nicely structured, with well preserved varietal characteristics and a terroir-driven, rustic delicacy towards the end of the palate. What this wine lacks today is maybe just a bot of finesse and elegance – traits that will surely come with time spent in the bottle. Judging by the wine’s structure, our recommendation is to drink it sooner rather than later, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. We believe that this wine will pair nicely with spicy yet delicate meats, like for example venison steak or peppercorn-crusted filet mignon. Enjoy!

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.