BODEGA ALEANNA | El Enemigo | Syrah – Viognier | 2018
syrah | viognier

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Today we are going to review a very special wine from the famous Mendoza region of Argentina – El Enemigo Syrah – Viognier 2018 by Bodega Aleanna. In a world where bolder is better, syrah is the perfect choice, as it is darker and spicier than cabernet sauvignon and contains a high amounts of health-invigorating antioxidants. Syrah, also known as Shiraz, can be vinified in two major styles: old-world style and new-world style. The old-world syrah wines tend to have more acidity and earthy-herbaceous aromas, while the new-world shiraz wines are usually fruit-driven with lots of spice and hints of smoke. This majestic syrah (92%) is made with a dash of viognier (8% – which is a white grape variety), and fermented on wild yeasts, just like the classic recipe for the world’s famous spicy syrah wines of the Northern Rhone in France. 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. The grapes for this particular wine are sourced from high altitude vineyards in the Agrelo sub-region of Mendoza, from the Gualtallary and Tupungato vineyards, planted at 1400 meters altitude on sandy-rich (syrah) and calcareous (viognier) soils, where the cooler nights help to preserve the freshness and aromatics of the grapes. In order to preserve the varietal characteristics of both grape varieties, the wine was aged only for 7 months in 100-year old french oak founders. But enough with all that theory, 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 and opaque ruby color
clarity: hazy ruby shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: pronounced & savory
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black plum | black cherry | bramble | blackberry | aronia berry
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice & oak | savory-gamey | earthy & other
__spice: peppercorn | cloves | anise
__oak: roasted oakwood
__savory: iron | veal | game | venison | barnyard | black olive 
__earthy: slate | graphite | black soil 
__other: mint | eucalyptus | wormwood | hints of brettanomyces
primary layer: savory-gamey

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

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: ripe & overripe
non fruit: spicy-savory
finish: medium+
aftertaste: crisp & seedy

//Scoring
BODEGA ALEANNA | El Enemigo | Syrah – Viognier | 2018
variety: syrah  | viognier
country: Argentina
region: Mendoza | Agrelo
rating: 93.9

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

//Prediction
predicted RP rating: 90

//RP Rating
actual RP rating: 92

//All Ratings
The critics’ rating distribution: 92

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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 very supple, round and delicate wine with a fruity-spicy accent on the palate and a very nuanced, savory-gamey nose. The wine is still in its developing phase, 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 and develop further complexity. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of ripe black fruits and savory-gamey notes in the foreground, followed by a very subtle, spicy-oaky background and a subtle earthy and rustic layer in between. On the palate the wine delivers crisp acidity, fine-grained tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, leading to a crisp and seedy aftertaste. All in all, this is a very elegant, complex and well structured wine with well preserved varietal characteristics of the syrah grape variety and a terroir-driven, rustic delicacy. What this wine lacks today is maybe just a bit of finesse and some muscles. 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-delicate meats, like for example a peppercorn-crusted filet mignon. Enjoy!

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