El Enemigo, meaning enemy in Spanish, is one of the countless projects led by the Argentinian Catena family. In 2009, Adrianna, Nicolás Catena Zapata’s fourth daughter, and winemaker Alejandro Vigil founded this estate in Mendoza. It sits on a bed of limestone and Andean alluvial soil, creating an oasis of freshness in the furnace that is Mendoza. In the face of difficulties, they live by the mantra that “at the end of the journey, we remember only one battle: the one we fought against ourselves, the original enemy, the one that defined us”.
True to their roots, the winemakers planted French, Burgundian, Italian and Argentinian varieties: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah-Viognier, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Torrontés. And they let the terroirs speak for themselves, because as Alejandro puts it, “it’s the land that counts in a good wine”. So the mix of Argentinian and French techniques, with drip irrigation, spontaneous fermentation, vinification in concrete eggs and mature barrels create amazingly rich and fruity wines.

This Cabernet Franc cuvée is vinified traditionally and matured in old Alsace foudre tuns. The result is a powerful wine with fairly pronounced élevage aromas (vanilla, tobacco, etc.). An archetypal Argentinian classic which requires time to soften and develop its full potential. To be enjoyed with... a fine cut of Argentine meat, of course!