According to Argentine winemaker Alejandro Vigil, there are two different stories about why the wines made at his own project, alongside Adrianna Catena (Bodega Catena Zapata), are called “El Enemigo” (The Enemy) (Mendoza, Argentina). The first version is not very nice, and a bit of a joke; they say it came from when his son was born. Vigil felt that he had taken his wife from him... that he had changed his life. The second, and more accurate, is thanks to Nicolás Catena Zapata, Adrianna’s father and the driving force behind the renowned Catena Zapata winery, where Alejandro Vigil is the director of winemaking.
In 2003, Nicolás Catena asked Vigil to create a blend for his “Nicolás Catena Zapata 2001” wine and, at the end of the blind tasting, Vigil’s blend was the favourite. On one occasion, Catena reminded Vigil of this story and asked him how he had made said blend. And Alejandro, who didn’t remember exactly, answered: “by playing like a child, with no fear”, to which Nicolás Catena replied: “Man's worst enemy is fear, fear of change, fear of doing new things...”
And so, Alejandro Vigil decided to use the name “El Enemigo” as a reminder to face fears and get out of his comfort zone to create, innovate and revolutionise. This “Messi of wine” is the winemaker who achieved the first 100 Parker points awarded to Argentina, bottling his great enemy, which now gives him so much satisfaction.
Gran Enemigo is a beautiful collage of the best plots from the Aleanna (El Enemigo) winery in Mendoza, Argentina. It is made from a coupage of 5 varieties: Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, grown in vineyards located in Gualtallary, at 1,470 metres above sea level, with a variety of soils like sandy loam (Malbec), limestone and rock (Cabernet Franc) and deep sandy soils (Cabernet Sauvignon); while the Petit Verdot variety comes from a vineyard located in Agrelo, at 930 metres above sea level, with predominantly sandy soils.
The varieties are harvested at 5 different times, with one and a half months between the first and last harvest. The grapes undergo an initial cold maceration (5 days) and then macerate for 23 days at a controlled medium temperature, with 30% of the bunches whole. Fermentation is carried out in barrels, using native yeasts, at a controlled temperature of 22°C. The resulting wine is aged for 15 months in 100-year-old foudres.
Unlike the single vineyard wines made by Alejandro Vigil, the blending of grapes in Gran Enemigo has resulted in a rounder, mellower, softer wine with very good acidity. A remarkable red wine, precisely crafted, that offers an exquisite panorama of Mendoza’s winemaking riches.
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