El Enemigo Malbec

Malbec bottle image

Wine Description

A joint venture between Adrianna Catena, daughter of Nicolas Catena, and Alejandro Vigil, Chief Winemaker at Bodega Catena Zapata, El Enemigo Malbec is produced at Piedemonte al Sur, located in the southern foothills of Uco Valley, 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
Adrianna
Aleanna Winery
Alejandro Vigil
Chacayes
Concrete Egg with Soil Map
Enemigo Vineyard
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Acclaim
“Officially, this is a malbec, but it also has some cabernet franc (7%) to add tannins and herbal notes to the variety’s juiciness and generous fruit. Both varieties come from the Adrianna Vineyard that Catena planted in 1996 on the stony, chalky soils of Gualtallary at an altitude of some 1,500 meters. And you can taste those chalky soils in the texture, which is grainy, tense, penetrating, and surrounded by refreshing red fruit notes and floral tones.”
— Descorchados, Jun 2019
“Alejandro Vigil is an inveterate blender, which is why this high-altitude Malbec includes 7% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Deeply colored with some sap and spice from 45% whole bunches, it’s fresh, perfumed yet well-structured with some grip on the finish.”
— Tim Atkin, MW, May 2019
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Vineyard & Production Info
Production area/appellation:
Uco Valley
Soil composition
Calcareous, Rocky, and Sandy-Loam
Training method
Guyot
Elevation:
4,620-4,851 feet
Vines/acre:
1,800
Yield/acre:
0.8-1.0 tons
Year vineyard planted:
1986
Harvest time:
March-May
First vintage of this wine:
2008
Bottles produced of this wine:
40,000
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Winemaking & Aging
Maceration length:
30
Varietal composition:
93% Malbec, 7% Cabernet Franc
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
20 days
Fermentation temperature:
84 °F
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
15 Months if 100 year old foudre.
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.6
Acidity:
6.1 g/L
Alcohol:
13.5 %