Winemaker Notes
Alejandro Vigil is a master of Chardonnay, as well as a man who likes to push boundaries, which is why this impressive white was made with a little flor, just like a Fino Sherry. Toasty, spicy and salty, this is briney and refreshing with some honeyed notes. The barrels develop some flor yeasts in the style of Jerez (or Jura) and this gives the wine a spicy twist, hints of curry and white pepper. The wine is silky and the very high acidity is not noticeable. This is a great commercial success, and at the price, it offers great value.
James Suckling 97 Points
Robert Parker 93 Points
About El Enemigo
Two romantics, a winemaker (Alejandro Vigil), and a historian (Adrianna Catena) – go back in time to capture an era when European imigrants recently settled in Argentina, sought to make wines as fine, and finer than those of their homelands.
London, September 18, 2009 – Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catena walked back from the Argentine Embassy in London where Nicolas Catena had just received the Decanter Man of the Year Award among a group of dear friends from around the world. The Thames was covered in mist as Adrianna began to tell Alejandro about the Great Fire of 1666, stories from another September night in London.
Adrianna is an historian who recently completed her Ph.D. in History at Oxford University. Alejandro, a soils engineer, has been chief winemaker at Catena Zapata since 2002. They share a mutual fascination with the writers Dostoyevsky and Cortázar, a passion for the Hellenic Philosophers (and heirloom tomatoes), a love of used books, live music, and long meals with old friends, and a deep, obsessive dedication to their young families – Adrianna’s son Antonio and Alejandro’s daughter Maria Giuliana Francesca are the same age.
On that walk, Alejandro and Adrianna decided to make a wine together, a wine that would represent their deep respect for history and tradition, and their complete irreverence towards the status quo.
