El Enemigo Malbec 2022
£19.95
The wine
One of Argentina's benchmark Malbecs, seasoned with a tenth of Cabernet Franc. Delicate aromas of violet and plum carry subtle herbal tones. The palate is juicy yet firm, layering ripe red fruit with liquorice, ginger and vanilla over fine-grained tannins. A distinctive mineral finish marks it out from the crowd. Made for steak, naturally, but happiest with slow-braised beef.
The producer
El Enemigo
View all El Enemigo winesEl Enemigo is one of the most compelling stories in modern Argentine wine. Founded in 2010 by Adrianna Catena, daughter of Nicolas Catena Zapata, and Alejandro Vigil, the acclaimed head winemaker of Bodega Catena Zapata, it was born of a shared obsession with terroir and a desire to carve a path entirely their own.
The name translates as the enemy: a nod to the internal battles fought in pursuit of excellence, and to a healthy instinct for challenging the status quo. That spirit runs through everything they bottle.
The vineyards lie in the Piedemonte al Sur, south of Lujan de Cuyo, at altitudes between 930 and 1,470 metres. Here the pair experiment freely, delighting in the new and unconventional, always in service of wines that express the freshness and character of each individual site.
The range spans a saline, chalky Chardonnay and a textural Chenin Blanc through Malbec and Syrah Viognier to the celebrated Gran Enemigo Cabernet Franc single vineyards of El Cepillo, Agrelo, Gualtallary and Chacayes, and the rare As Bravas. Highly sought-after and placed 17th in the World's Best Vineyards Awards 2025, these are wines of tension, precision and unmistakable personality.
