✒ El Enemigo Tasting
Love thy Enemy
by John Stimpfig
Bizarrely, I had never tasted any of Bodega Aleanna’s cult-ish El Enemigo range of wines, first created nearly two decades ago by Adrianna Catena of the famous Argentine wine dynasty together with its legendary winemaker Alejandro Vigil.
So when an invitation presented itself to meet Adrianna and Alejandro in London and taste the wines, I signed up immediately.
The brand was first conceived back in 2009 after the ceremony at the Argentine Embassy celebrating Nicolas Catena (Adrianna’s father) as the Decanter Man of the Year. Afterwards, in the wee small hours, Adrianna and Alejandro ended up at a London kebab shop where they first came up with a concept for their El Enemigo boutique label and its terroir-inspired wines.
The pair wanted to do something different to the established Catena range and do something that they both felt passionate about. Their plan initially coalesced around Cabernet Franc, grown in varying high-altitude vineyards. Other varietals followed – all planted across the Uco Valley in strikingly different sites to express purity and a precise sense of place.
According to Adrianna, ‘it began with a massal selection from a single 50-year-old block in Agrelo planted in Chacayes, El Cepillo and Gualtallary.’ The blend would be the same – 85% Cab Franc and 15% Malbec. So the same process from vine to bottle, the same price on every label, leaving the differences entirely down to where the vines grow. It was unprecedented in Argentina, a way of proving what terroir actually means rather than simply naming it.
In the last few years, Adrianna and Alejandro have also bought vineyards in the Gredos Mountains in Spain, releasing their first Garnacha in 2022. And more recently, in 2024, the duo launched their new ‘As Bravas’ range to considerable critical acclaim.
Today, El Enemigo’s focus has evolved far beyond Cabernet Franc to include Malbec, Grenache, Bonarda, Chardonnay and Torrontes – always with an intriguing twist. For instance, the minerally Chardonnay is crafted under flor; its Torrontes has a distinctively vibrant expression for the varietal. Their village and single vineyard Malbecs are sublime expressions of place and post-modern winemaking. So too are the exquisitely balanced, complex and more-ish, vineyard-specific Cabernet Francs which eschew new oak. Their bright, breezy Garnachas are beguilingly joyous and complex.
The laid-back lunch took place at a new London eatery called Queen Kebab in Covent Garden in honour of El Enemigo’s UK conception. It was an inspired and playful choice of venue; modern and casual with not a dodgy kebab in sight. Instead, we were treated to a delightful menu of exquisite dishes perfectly paired with El Enemigo’s remarkable wines.
And so to the wine and food. For the canapés, a chipà soufflé was offered with El Enemigo’s stunning 2023 Chardonnay. Next up, a stunningly more-ish empanada of white crab, cockles and preserved lemon – a perfect foil for El Enemigo’s 2021 Torrontés.
We sat down to a first course of sundried aubergine dolma paired with the pale, and bitingly fresh 2022 As Bravas Garnacha. This was swiftly followed by a monkfish ‘kebab’ matched with two youthful Uco Valley Malbecs from 2017 and 2018. Both are serious wines that provide joy, complexity and pleasure in spades.
Then came a mixed grill of lamb loin, kofta and buttermilk chicken with a trio of Gran Enemigo single vineyard Cabernet Francs, all from the exceptional 2021 vintage. The dish was exceptionally good; the wines were even better.
In my experience, I often find that winemakers and wine owners bear an uncanny similarity to the style and quality of their wines. In this respect, Adrianna and Alejandro are exactly as you would expect and want. Passionate, outspoken and brimming with enthusiasm, charm and insight – they complement their wines and each other to perfection.
To be honest, I can’t quite believe that it has taken me quite so long to finally taste and discover these gorgeous wines. Just make sure that you don’t make the same mistake.
Wine Notes:-
El Enemigo Chardonnay 2023
This 100% Chardonnay is grown in Gualtallary at nearly 1,500m in deep rocky calcareous soil. Fermented with wild yeasts in 500L French oak barrels, it is also aged under flor for twelve months before bottling. A superbly fresh, tensile, mineral-savoury Chardonnay with bright lemon preserve and sappy apple fruits and a deft kiss of oak on the long saline finish. Mid-weight, elegant and fine.
13.5% ABV. Drink now to 2032+
UK 75cl bottle prices from £20.50 to £27.99.
UK Stockists: Berry Bros & Rudd, Wine Republic, Rackhams, London End Wines, Honest Grapes, Great Wines Direct
El Enemigo Lunlunta As Bravas Garnacha 2022
Intriguingly, the cuttings from this Lunlunta-grown site within Maipú come from the Gredos Mountains in Spain where Alejandro and Adrianna make superb Garnacha wines. The vineyard is just over 800m and the grapes are picked for optimal freshness in whole clusters. They are then crushed and gently infused or macerated for 45 days before fermentation in concrete with indigenous yeasts. Ageing is in stainless steel tanks (80%) and the rest in used 225L barrels. The result is a deep pink-hued wine with floral aromatics, thrilling acids and complex flavours of wild strawberry, raspberry, stone fruits, blood orange and violet. Intense, tangy, bursting with fruit sweetness this is crunchy, refreshing and light-bodied with delicate tannins. At four years of age, it is still vibrantly young and full of life, with a faint and pleasing bitterness on the finish. Best enjoyed on the cool side, this is drinking beautifully now and for a few more years.
12% ABV. Drink now to 2030
UK 75cl bottle price £49.50
UK Stockists: Wine Republic (available from November 2026
El Enemigo El Cepillo As Bravas Malbec 2017
This is not quite 100% Malbec as it has a smidgeon (5%) of Semillon in the blend. The grapes are farmed in El Cepillo within the southerly area of San Carlos at around 1300m. The colluvial soils here are marine limestone. Whole bunches are fermented in concrete at 26C after an 80-day infusion. The wine is then aged for 64 months in old foudres and receives another year in bottle. Deep, deep impenetrable colour and a lovely spicy, floral aroma. Juicy, fresh and intense, this has lovely purity and density without any sense of heaviness. The sweet fruit is dark plum, bramble and violet with tobacco, liquorice and herbs. Mid-weight in structure, this boasts plush, gliding tannins and terrific length. Still young, this is very food-friendly and also improves in the glass.
13.5% ABV Drink now to 2035
UK 75cl bottle price from £70.00
UK stockists: London End Wines
El Enemigo As Bravas Malbec Gualtallary 2018
Made in the same way as the As Bravas El Cepillo, but grown in Tupungato’s Gualtallary appellation at 1600m, the blend here is 93% Malbec and 7% Semillon. Another stunning wine from El Enemigo, this is chock full of Morello cherry, blackberry and raspberry coulis and spice-cigar box. The acidity, ripeness and sweet tannins are in perfect harmony and presage a great future. Long, savoury complex finish. Fabulous wine. NB this wine can be ordered but won’t be delivered until early 2027.
13.5% ABV Drink now to 2038
UK 75cl bottle price from £85.00
UK stockists: 8Wines, Wine Republic
Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Chacayas 2021
A judicious mix of 85% Cabernet Franc and 15% Malbec, this is grown in Tunuyan’s Los Chacayes appellation at 1,100m on alluvial limestone soils. 40% of the wine is fermented whole bunch and everything is fermented in concrete at 25C with a five-day-long cold maceration and then a forty-day low-intervention infusion. After fermentation, it is aged for 15 months in concrete before bottling.
Impressive, seductive and delicious, this mid-weight wine has many charms to offer. Suave, sophisticated dark red fruits (cherry, raspberry and bramble) mingle with violets, ink and tea leaf. The acidity is very present and correct and provides a perfect foil for the velvety, succulent tannins. Overall, there’s a rich, glossy sheen to this complex, fleshy and vivid wine. Drink now and for another 10-plus years.
13.5% ABV Drink now to 2042+
UK 75cl bottle price from £68.00
UK stockists: London End Wines, Great Wines Direct, Selfridges
Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard El Cepillo 2021
A similar blend of Cabernet Franc and Malbec that comes from the El Cepillo vineyard in San Carlos at 1300m. Made in precisely the same way as its sibling above, this is equally as appealing and complex. Lovely ripe fruit and texture with a firm acidic spine, this will also age and improve over time. Equally, it is utterly delicious now with its creamy cassis, cherry and blackberry fruit intensity and sheer, unadulterated purity. Mid-weight, polished and plush, this comes highly recommended.
13.5% Drink now to 2042+
UK 75cl bottle price from £65.00
UK stockists: VINVM, Honest Grapes, Great Wines Direct, London End Wines
John Stimpfig catches up with Adrianna Catena and Alejandro Vigil for a tasting of their El Enemigo wines.