El Enemigo’s Gran Enemigo As Bravas Pampa El Cepillo Malbec 2019 is a high-altitude Uco Valley Malbec from Cordón El Cepillo (San Carlos), a marginal, cold site that shapes the wine’s taut, mineral style. According to an importer/distributor technical sheet, the vineyard sits at around 1,300 meters above sea level in a “remote, frost-prone desert,” with naturally low yields. The same document reports a long élevage—“64 months in old foudres”—and notes that the fermentation includes “a small percentage of Semillón,” an unusual but established house detail intended to lift aromatics and frame the tannins.

In the glass, the wine is presented as more about structure and precision than overt sweetness or easy fruit. The importer sheet emphasizes a profile built on dark fruit and herbal detail—“blackberries,” “wild herbs,” and “laurel,” alongside “rose petal,” “cedar,” and “granite.” On the palate, it highlights what serious El Cepillo Malbec can deliver at its best: “a precise, tightly woven palate,” with “chalky tannins” and “fresh acidity.” That combination points to a wine likely to show restraint when young, with the stamina to gain nuance over time.

One important caveat is documentation and critical coverage for this specific vintage. The official El Enemigo website currently shows this bottling as a 2018, not a 2019, though the broad production approach aligns: the 2018 is listed as 95% Malbec and 5% Semillón from Cordón El Cepillo, also aged 64 months in foudre. As for reviews, no professional critic scores for the 2019 were found in the provided materials. The importer sheet does cite an excellent result for the prior release, stating that the 2018 received “100 points from Robert Parker,” but that praise does not automatically extend to 2019.