El Enemigo (Bodega Aleanna)

El Enemigo was born from a conversation in London between Adrianna Catena and Alejandro Vigil following a wine industry awards ceremony. Adrianna, the youngest daughter of Nicolás Catena Zapata and a practicing historian who graduated from UC Berkeley with highest honors before completing an MPhil and DPhil at Balliol College, Oxford, brought deep knowledge of Argentine wine history. Vigil, a soil engineer and agronomist who had been chief winemaker at Catena Zapata since 2002, contributed technical mastery of Mendoza's terroirs. Together they founded Bodega Aleanna, combining their names, to produce wines reflecting a deep respect for history, tradition, and terroir without compromise. The name El Enemigo, meaning the enemy, references the belief that the most important battles we face are the internal ones, a philosophy that shapes every decision in the vineyard and cellar.

• Project launched 2008; winery entity is Bodega Aleanna, combining 'Ale' (Alejandro) and 'anna' (Adrianna)
• Adrianna Catena: youngest daughter of Nicolás Catena Zapata; UC Berkeley History graduate; DPhil, Balliol College, Oxford; historian and lecturer
• Alejandro Vigil: soil engineer and agronomist; chief winemaker at Catena Zapata since 2002; former head of soil division at INTA (Argentina's agricultural research institute)
• Wines produced at BESA facility, Vista Flores, Tunuyán; Casa Vigil experience at Videla Aranda 7008, Maipú

El Enemigo sources from four primary terroirs across Mendoza and the Uco Valley, each contributing a distinct character to the wines. Gualtallary, at 1,470 meters in the Tupungato subregion, provides calcareous rocky soils with a high density of 10,000 vines per hectare and yields the flagship Gran Enemigo single-vineyard Cabernet Franc from vines planted in 1995. El Cepillo, in San Carlos near the southern edge of the Uco Valley at 1,300 meters, features colluvial soils with marine limestone and 8,000 vines per hectare. Agrelo, at around 930 meters in Luján de Cuyo, contributes deep clay soils from the La Pirámide vineyard for the spiced, textural Agrelo single-vineyard Cabernet Franc. Los Chacayes, at 1,100 meters in the Uco Valley, contributes fruit for another Gran Enemigo single-vineyard bottling from vines planted in 2004. Bonarda comes from the El Mirador vineyard in Rivadavia at 650 meters.

• Gualtallary: 1,470m, calcareous rocky soils, 10,000 vines/hectare; Gran Enemigo single-vineyard Cabernet Franc (vines planted 1995)
• El Cepillo: 1,300m, colluvial soils with marine limestone, 8,000 vines/hectare; San Carlos, southern Uco Valley
• Agrelo: ~930m, deep clay soils, La Pirámide vineyard, Luján de Cuyo; source of spiced, richly textured Agrelo Cabernet Franc
• Los Chacayes: 1,100m, Uco Valley; vines planted 2004; source of the 100-point 2021 Gran Enemigo Chacayes Cabernet Franc

Vigil's winemaking is defined by transparency and minimal manipulation. All reds ferment with indigenous yeasts, typically beginning with a cold maceration phase followed by an extended infusion period with minimal movement, reaching approximately 40 days total for Gran Enemigo single-vineyard wines. Fermentation takes place in concrete tanks at controlled temperatures, generally 22 to 26 degrees Celsius. Aging occurs in old oak foudres, many over 100 years old, shipped from Italy and re-toasted before use. No new oak is used for the single-vineyard Gran Enemigo wines. The El Enemigo Malbec ages 15 months in a combination of foudres, barrels, and tank. The Chardonnay is produced in a Jura-inspired style, spending around nine months in barrel under a voile of flor yeast, which protects the wine while imparting saline complexity. Wines are bottled without fining or filtration where possible.

• Indigenous yeast fermentation exclusively; cold maceration followed by extended ~40-day infusion for Gran Enemigo reds
• Fermentation in concrete (reds) or barrel (Chardonnay); average temperature 22-26°C
• Aging in foudres over 100 years old, imported from Italy; zero new oak for single-vineyard wines
• Chardonnay aged ~9 months under flor voile in barrel, Jura Vin Jaune-inspired style

The Gran Enemigo portfolio has earned Argentina some of its highest-ever critical scores. The 2021 Gran Enemigo Los Chacayes Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc received 100 points from both Jeb Dunnuck and Virginie Boone. The 2021 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc received 99 points from robertparker.com reviewer Matthew Luczy, praised for its brooding perfume, silky palate, and extraordinary aging potential through 2041. Gran Enemigo El Cepillo has received scores up to 98 points. The El Enemigo varietal line, priced around $27 to $31, consistently earns 91 to 96 points across publications, making it one of the most acclaimed value-tier producers in South America. The Gran Enemigo blend, always sourced from Gualtallary, combines Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc with the composition shifting by vintage.

• Gran Enemigo Los Chacayes 2021: 100 pts Jeb Dunnuck and Virginie Boone; 85% Cabernet Franc, 15% Malbec from 1,100m vines
• Gran Enemigo Gualtallary 2021: 99 pts robertparker.com (Matthew Luczy); 85% Cabernet Franc, 15% Malbec; drink 2024-2041
• El Enemigo Malbec (2022): RP 92, JS 95; El Enemigo Cabernet Franc (2022): RP 93, JD 95; El Enemigo Chardonnay (2023): JS 96, RP 93
• Gran Enemigo blend varies by vintage: the 2019 was 40% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, all from Gualtallary

The El Enemigo line offers accessible entry points into the project's terroir-driven philosophy. It includes Malbec (with 10% Cabernet Franc, from Gualtallary above 1,300m), Cabernet Franc, Bonarda, Chardonnay, Semillon, and a Syrah-Viognier blend, all priced around $27 to $31. The Bonarda comes from the El Mirador vineyard in Rivadavia and, more rarely, from the historic La Esperanza single-vineyard, a 150-year-old site of just 5 hectares that Vigil rescued from uprooting. The Gran Enemigo range centers on four single-vineyard Cabernet Francs from Gualtallary, El Cepillo, Agrelo, and Los Chacayes, each bottled as 85% Cabernet Franc with 15% Malbec, plus the multi-varietal Gran Enemigo blend and, in select vintages, a Gran Enemigo Torrontes. Wines are distributed globally and are among the most searched Argentine wines on major wine platforms.

• El Enemigo line (~$27-31): Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Bonarda, Chardonnay, Semillon, Syrah-Viognier
• Gran Enemigo single vineyards (~$97-122): Gualtallary, El Cepillo, Agrelo, Los Chacayes; all 85% Cabernet Franc, 15% Malbec
• La Esperanza single-vineyard Bonarda: from a 150-year-old, 5-hectare vineyard in Rivadavia rescued by Vigil; a few hundred bottles per vintage
• Gran Enemigo blend: multi-varietal from Gualtallary at 1,470m; composition varies by vintage; avg retail ~$109

El Enemigo has become a benchmark for Argentine fine wine, demonstrating that restrained, mineral-driven wines from high-altitude Mendoza can compete with the world's best Cabernet Francs. The project elevated Gualtallary's international profile and helped establish it as one of the most discussed wine subregions in the Southern Hemisphere, even before its formal GI status was confirmed. Vigil's parallel role as chief winemaker at Catena Zapata has given him a platform to influence both large-scale and artisan winemaking in Argentina simultaneously. Adrianna's historical perspective, rooted in her research on early Argentine wine culture and European immigration, infuses the project with a sense of narrative identity rare among New World producers. The winery remains independently owned as Bodega Aleanna.

• Elevated Gualtallary to international prominence as a top-tier Cabernet Franc subregion before formal GI recognition
• Vigil simultaneously leads winemaking at Catena Zapata (since 2002) and Bodega Aleanna, influencing both premium and artisan Argentine wine
• Adrianna's DPhil research at Oxford focused on Early Modern Iberian Atlantic history; this historical lens shapes the winery's identity and label narratives
• Independently owned as Bodega Aleanna; among Argentina's most searched wine producers globally