
The Armantes Estate
Armantes is made at the Bodega San Gregorio, a cave co-op founded in 1965 that counts 250 members. It is located in the Ribota River Valley, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the city of Calatayud. D.O. Calatayud is located in Aragon, a province unparalleled in Spain by its variety of landscapes (lush river valleys, mountainsides and semi-desert areas.) The name Calatayud derives from a Moorish governor named Ayub who built a castle (qalat) at the confluence of the Jalon and Jiloca rivers (qalat Ayub.) There has been thriving population here as far back as Roman times when the old city of Bilbilis was used as an important staging-post for the Roman legions on their way north to Gaul.
The Armantes Vineyards
The coop cultivates 900 hectares (2,200 acres) of primarily Garnacha (70%) and Tempranillo (20%) with some white Macabeo and other varieties. Most of the vines are at least 40 years old and some are 50+. The vines, planted “en vaso”(head-trained) are not irrigated, offering very low production levels. Local soils are rich in limestone, marl and slate, providing plenty of opportunities to make good wine on a regular basis of which Armantes is a perfect example.
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All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collector’s cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Enemigo El Enemigo Gran Enemigo is made from Cabernet Franc.
Gran Enemigo Agrelo is intense, balanced, and elegant. Cabernet Franc brings light notes of eucalyptus and thyme, Malbec provides ripe black fruits, and oak provides a touch of chocolate and vanilla. Certified Sustainable by Bodegas de Argentina.
Gran Enemigo Agrelo pairs beautifully with steak, veal, and roasted game birds such as chicken, turkey, and duck.
Reviews:
The 2019 Gran Enemigo Agrelo Single Vineyard shows the completeness of the vintage, a year with good yields and a cooler winter and summer. The result is a very balanced wine with full development of aromas and flavors, moderate ripeness and good freshness and balance. It has a fine texture, some chalky sensations and a dry finish, despite the fact that the soils have no limestone. The vines here are over 40 years of age.
-Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 97 Points
#73 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023
The 2019 Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Agrelo also includes 15% Malbec from the clayish soils of Luján de Cuyo. Aged for 15 months in foudres, this purplish wine reveals enticing cigar ash notes alongside blueberry and plum aromas, with a subtle cedar backdrop. Dry, rich and plush on the palate, it quickly tightens due to its fine-grained, reactive, clay-like tannins. This long-lasting red lingers on the ashy notes, beautifully layered and crafted with a modernist touch in a slightly cool vintage.
- Vinous 97 Points