El Enemigo Chardonnay 2023

Salty and spicy, with aromas of ginger, cardamom, lemons and sea salt. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, sharp and pungent, with a precise, saline character. Rich, focused and delicious. From grapes grown in Gualtallary. Fermented and aged in French oak, of which 35% was new. Drink or hold.

The 2023 Chardonnay derives from Adrianna Vineyard, was vinified in 500-liter barrique and incorporates some biological aging and a small portion of a five-year-old solera. Leading with a bright, citrus-driven nose bolstered by an elegant nutty richness, the palate is vibrant, textural and seamless, concluding with a succulent and nuanced finish. As with the whole El Enemigo range, this offers a fantastic value that entirely transcends the price point.

The 2023 Chardonnay has a compelling nose of steely green apple but is more defined by its grasp of flinty mineral and texture of wet stone. Quenching acidity underscores a liner, focused, and seamless expression of refined complexity and light-bodied grace. Enjoy now and for another 7-10 years.

A gorgeous blend of cherry-berry fruits, sweet autumnal spices, pipe tobacco and hints of mint waft up from the 2020 Brunello di Montalcino. Seamless and silken, it washes across the palate with ease, displaying rose-tinged red berry fruits as crystalline tannins add tactile grip toward the close. A staining of licorice and clove is left to linger as the 2020 tapers off lightly structured and with medium length. The balance here is beautiful— the 2020 comes across lifted and ethereal yet still complex.