EL ENEMIGO, GRAN ENEMIGO
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA 2019
Why Buy: If you've yet to experience the magic of El Enemigo — a pet project for Alejandro Vigil, the head winemaker at Catena Zapata, and Adrianna Catena, the youngest daughter of Nicolás Catena Zapata, that has quickly ascended to cult wine status — there's no better introduction than the 97-point 'Gran Enemigo' Agrelo Single Vineyard 2019. What you're getting when you buy a bottle of 'Gran Enemigo' is not just the extraordinary bloodlines of the great Catena Zapata. You're also getting two of the sharpest minds in the world of wine, each trained in the rigor and method that are essential to creating the process necessary to achieve something new, something extraordinary. The wine also happen to be an extraordinary value, in a world where a bottle of Bordeaux of comparable quality and rating is likely to command a higher price.
What They're Saying: The Wine Advocate weighed in on the Agrelo Single Vineyard and fell in love, awarding 97 points and hailing its "full development of aromas and flavors," and "fine texture," which delivers an almost "chalky sensation, despite the fact that the soils have no limestone."
The Story: Vigil has been making wine for Zapata since 2002, and he can claim a pair of prestigious firsts (the first 100-point score ever awarded to a South American wine by Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate and the highest-ever rating given to a pure Cabernet Franc), but he might have taken a different turn in life; an agricultural engineer, he was the former head of the soils division for the National Research Institute in Argentina. That's a story not unlike that of Adrianna Catena, who earned a doctorate at Oxford and who divides her time between Argentina and London, where, as an historian, she researches Early Modern Iberian Atlantic history. Of course, these backgrounds, fine as they are, would be nothing to us if the wines were of little merit. But in fact, we can see evidence of all their learning in these superlative bottles: the painstaking attention to the soil, the constant refinement of the winemaking process, the exaltation of terroir, and, perhaps above all, the need for a wine to express more than just itself: but to express the character of a people and a moment and a place on earth.
The Vintage: 2019 in this part of Argentina — the Mendoza region, on the eastern side of the Andes — was blessed with a cool winter and cooler-than-usual summer, providing good yields of excellent, expressive grapes.
Our Tasting Notes: The Agrelo Single Vineyard has much the same profile, and delivers some of the pleasures of listening to a piece of Bach — the extraordinary melodiousness and balance that leaves you smiling and also shaking your head. This one was made with 40-year-plus vines, and there is, undeniably, a distinct character in the mid-palate and finish that owes itself to those old vines.
What to Pair Them With: A grilled, juicy ribeye, a pan-seared duck breast with thyme, or roast chicken with tarragon and lavender.
Fun Fact: It was Paul Hobbs who persuaded Nicolás Catena not to abandon Malbec, and build his winery around Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Our Guarantee: Ensuring that your wines arrive in your hands with pristine provenance is of the utmost importance to us. We always buy and source directly from the estate, and work hard at every step of a complex process to guarantee their smooth and safe delivery. Don't hesitate to secure your wine today!
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Fall 2024. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. Offer not valid in KS, MI, NY, or TN. This offer is for ONE WEEK, or until sold out, and will expire on Sunday, May 12th, 2024.
