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Please join us Saturday as Fernando Silva from Winebow pours some outstanding wines from El Enemigo. For those of you that haven't tried these wines they are some of the most unique and artisanal wines coming from anywhere in South America. As you can see from the scores below, the wine press agrees. With the name Catena involved, you know the quality is going to be there!
El Enemigo translates as the enemy. Nodding to the fact that at the end of any journey, most remember only one battle — the one fought within (the original enemy). This is the battle that defines us. The wines of El Enemigo are a tribute to those internal battles that make us who we are, brought to fruition by a winemaker, Alejandro Vigil, and a historian, Adrianna Catena who share a love of wine and reach back in time to capture the era when European immigrants first settled in Argentina. These settlers sought to make wines as fine, and finer, than those of their old homeland. By 1936, Malbec and Petit Verdot were the most widely planted fine varietals in Argentina, their blend considered the ultimate in refinement and aging potential.
Winemaking Philosophy:
El Enemigo is produced at BESA, located in the Vista Flores district in Tunuyán, Mendoza. The facility is named for the unique aspect of Mendoza's high-altitude winemaking region nestled in the foothills of the Andes Mountains.
Alejandro Vigil is a soil expert, winemaker, and agronomist. He is the Chief Winemaker at Bodega Catena Zapata, the former head of the soil division at Argentina's Wine Institute, and the former head of the soil division of INTA.
Adrianna Catena is the daughter of Nicolás Catena. She has a Master's Degree in Early Modern Iberian Atlantic history from the University of Oxford. Her dream is to continue the family legacy of winemaking while pursuing a passion for history and writing from a cottage surrounded by vineyards in the Argentine Andes.
Fernando will pour the following:
2018 El Enemigo – Semillon
A Semillón from an old vineyard in Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, fermented with native yeasts in 10% new oak followed by 15 months ageing, a fifth in flor. Golden yellow in color, the 2018 Semillón El Enemigo offers notes of honey, sandalwood and vanilla along with dried fruit, potpourri, herbs and acacia. Complex and subtle, the firm acidity gives an unctuous feel and full volume which are also dry and austere thanks to the biological ageing. A lengthy, honey-infused finish
93 Points Joaquín Hidalgo Vinous Media
| Sale $23.99 | SKU 92736 |
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2019 El Enemigo – Chardonnay
The textbook 2019 Chardonnay is elegant and subtle, seamless and integrated, with moderate alcohol and great freshness, finishing dry and very tasty. Vigil likes to have some flor in part of his wines, and it gives them a special complexity and tastiness. 2019 was a very healthy vintage, and the grapes achieved 13.5% alcohol while keeping very high acidity, which makes the palate vibrant and lively. It was produced with grapes from Gualtallary and that always adds extra freshness when picked at the right time. It matured in 500-liter oak barrels for nine months and there's always some flor in the élevage. 16,500 bottles were filled in December 2020.
93+ Points Luis Gutierrez Wine Advocate
| Sale $24.99 | SKU 91438 |
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2018 El Enemigo - Cabernet Franc
The 2018 Cabernet Franc El Enemigo is mixed with 10% Malbec, both harvested at five separate times in Gualtallary, Uco Valley and from vineyards planted in sandy soils rich in calcium deposits. This wine was aged for 15 months in old foudres. Dark garnet in color, the complex nose offers notes of ripe redcurrant, dark fruit, hints of ash and a touch of jalapeño and nutmeg followed by country herbs. Compact and taut on the palate with a juicy linearity, the wine gathers depth and flavor as it goes before the long, bold finish. A lovely way of taming the wilder qualities of high-altitude reds.
93 Points Joaquín Hidalgo Vinous Media
| Sale $22.99 | SKU 90450 |
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2018 El Enemigo - Syrah/Viognier
The 2018 Syrah-Viognier El Enemigo is mostly Syrah with an 8% portion of Viognier from Gualtallary, Uco Valley and spent seven months aging in old foudres. Bright purple in hue, this Cote Rotie style Syrah offers diaphanous aromas of dark fruit, spices, blackberry, blueberry and pepper with hints of smoke and a whiff of something floral. The 2018 is relaxed but compact on the palate and has fine tannins that help structure the flow. It has a mild, juicy freshness that leaves the mouth full of flavor while a gentle touch of chalk brings texture. This is a surprisingly rewarding wine.
94 Points Joaquín Hidalgo Vinous Media
| Sale $23.99 | SKU 92737 |
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2018 El Enemigo – Malbec
The 2018 Malbec has some 8% Cabernet Franc in the blend, and it has only 13.5% alcohol while retaining very good acidity. The grapes were sourced from Gualtallary and were co-fermented. It's a serious, subtle and mineral Malbec, with some austerity and shy varietal aromas of violets and wild herbs. The palate is medium-bodied with terrific texture and very clean and focused flavors, and it has the chalky texture from the limestone-rich soils. 28,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2019 after 12 months in ancient oak foudres.
93 Points Luis Gutierrez Wine Advocate
| Sale $24.99 | SKU 91745 |
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2017 El Enemigo - Cabernet Franc Gualtallary Single Vineyard Gran Enemigo
The 2017 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard didn't show any heat or excess ripeness from a warm and dry year. On the contrary, it's austere and has citrus acidity, with great freshness and minerality. The palate is super austere with vibrant acidity—by far the highest among the Gran Enemigo bottlings—and very fine, chalky tannins. This is remarkable, serious, balanced and fresh with a very, very long and salty finish. This fermented in barrels with 100% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in centenary oak foudres for 15 months. 3,000 bottles were filled in July 2018.
98 Points Luis Gutierrez Wine Advocate
| Sale $99.00 | SKU 93566 |
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