2020 El Enemigo Chardonnay Mendoza

This wine showed its pedigree in our blind tasting, where its rich, layered orchard-fruit flavors were buttressed by well-integrated acidity. Pour a glass, put the rest into a decanter and enjoy the slow reveal of its white-mineral savor and golden wheat-field complexity. Winemaker Alejandro Virgil fermented the fruit—from Gualtallary and Tupungato—in 500-liter French oak barrels (35 percent new), allowing a partial veil of yeasts to form. With its elegant balance of complexity and power, this offers the satisfaction of a compelling white Burgundy on its own terms—a conversation starter and driver. Pretty stellar stuff.

A K&L Favorite. This wine does the impossible. This is rich, full, textured, and has beautiful ripe fruit notes. It is also crisp, vibrant, balanced with minerality, and a savory note. AND it is reasonably priced. There are other wines out there that can do what this wine does, but at least 5X the price. And this is not a one off, this has been this way for years! This is a Unicorn of a wine that hides in a place where most people do not look for Chardonnay, the foothills of the Andes. This is a buy-a-case kind of wine. A perfect wine to open for when you have company, it is for those people who like big CA Chards and those terroir hounds that talk about rocks and minerality.