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Friday, March 27, 2020 - 98 Points and Under $23

To a wine geek and score whore like me, the prospect of a sub-$23 bottle of wine scoring a remarkable 98 Points from pretty much any reviewer, is at least a reason to investigate further. That’s just what I did. The wine?

El Enemigo Chardonnay 2017

Originating from Mendoza, Argentina, I’m not sure if it was the review or production limits (showing only 300 cases imported to the US), but when I started out trying to find this wine, it took some time, but then, an email graced my inbox and there, in its full glory was the offer I had been waiting for. Buy this wine for the amazing price of ONLY $22.79! Well, I can tell you it didn’t take long for my fingers to go to work and hit that “Submit” button to pick some up. I had to wait a little while to pick it up, and while I wanted to try the wine as soon as I got it, I did manage to hold off for a short time before diving in and checking things out.

As my usual routine, I did some digging before digging into the wine. On the surface, things seemed pretty much standard for the wine production, UNTIL, I came across a little trick the winemaker added during the fermentation of the wine. I ran into a word unfamiliar (how you ask can a wine geek like me not know everything about wine? It happens…) to me; FLOR. Somewhere along the line, I saw it means “Floral.” Seems reasonable as the first 4 letters are the same. But I had to dig deeper to find out what it meant in wine lingo. It is a term used in Sherry production (now I see why I didn’t know). It refers to a yeast cap that forms over the top of the juice while aging to prevent oxygen from reaching the juice. Seems simple, but have no idea how it might affect the wine, I’m guessing it does and is why the wine tastes as it does.

For me, the wine showed exceptionally well. Opening with a whiff of bright stoned fruit and a honeyed layer, both of which transported themselves to the taste of the wine. Also offering a touch of floral notes (there’s that FLOR again), that all combine to create a bold wine with a multitude of layers that provide for great depth and length. Regardless of reviews and scores, this is a keeper. A lovely wine at a great price (if you can find it), that I think would please many a Chardonnay drinker.

As a devote of wine, I will keep on my hunt for the best wines at the best prices, maybe there’s a 98 Point wine out there under $10!

Cheers

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