Malbec, El Enemigo 2022
Tim Atkin MW Tim Atkin 90; James Suckling 95; Descorchados 92; Wine Spectator 90; Gold, International Wine Challenge 2025
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Why this wine
The benchmark Malbec from Gualtallary's calcareous soils, with a tenth of Cabernet Franc for lift and grip. Long maceration and 15 months in foudre and barrel give it detail rather than bulk. It is the reference point the rest of the Argentine range is judged against.
At a glance
- Grape
- Malbec 90%, Cabernet Franc 10%
- Region
- Mendoza, Argentina
- Alcohol
- 13.50%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- Medium
- Tannins
- Medium
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Short (3-5 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Red Meat, Barbecue, Cheese
How it tastes
Violet and plum with a light herbal note, then ripe red fruit, liquorice, ginger and vanilla. Medium-bodied, juicy but firm, with fine-grained tannins and a mineral finish. Malbec 90%, Cabernet Franc 10%.
The producer
El Enemigo was founded in 2010 by Adrianna Catena and Alejandro Vigil, head winemaker at Bodega Catena Zapata, and took 17th place in the 2025 World's Best Vineyards awards. The fruit comes from Gualtallary in Tupungato, at 1,470 metres, where deep calcareous and rocky soils give small, concentrated berries; the vineyard is farmed to organic practice without certification, with high trellising, drip irrigation and hand picking. Fermentation ran on indigenous yeasts for 20 days at up to 29°C, followed by 30 days of maceration on skins, and the wine was matured for 15 months in foudre (50%), stainless steel (25%) and oak barrel (25%). Vigil calls 2022 the best year he has lived through, a vintage across Mendoza of firm acidity, ripe fruit and balanced alcohol.
Food and drinking
Serve at 16-18°C. Good with grilled ribeye, slow-cooked beef short rib, beef empanadas or a hard, aged cheese. Drinking well now and through to around 2030; give it half an hour in a decanter. Sealed under DIAM. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.