Gran Enemigo Chacayes

Fear holds us back and stops us moving forward. Fear is man’s worst enemy. Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catena decided to call the wines that are part of the project they run from their Aleanna winery, in Mendoza (Argentina) “The Enemy” as a reminder not to stay in their comfort zone; not to be afraid and to take risks, innovate and revolutionise...  

 

Strangely, Alejandro Vigil shares his birthday (a few years apart) with Che Guevara, so it seems that this revolutionary streak is undeniable. This creative and tireless winemaker is an Argentine wine rock star, but fame has not come to him freely. The wines he makes, both at his own project and at the Catena Zapata winery, where he is the winemaking director, are some of the most highly valued and awarded Argentine wines by specialist critics.

 

Gran Enemigo Chacayes is one of the exquisite single vineyard wines made by Alejandro Vigil. It starts life at an altitude of 1,100 metres, at the foot of the Andes Mountains, in a vineyard located in Chacayes (Mendoza), one of the most promising regions for Argentine wine, which is really on the up.

 

The soils here are predominantly alluvial with limestone stones, and are home to the Cabernet Franc and Malbec vines that are used to make the Gran Enemigo Chacayes coupage. The bunches are harvested at five different levels of ripeness, with a period of one and a half months between the first and last harvest. The grapes undergo a cold maceration for 5 days and an average maceration of about 23 days, with 30% of the clusters whole. Fermentation is carried out in second and third use French oak barrels and the resulting wine is aged for 15 months in 100 year old foudres.

 

Gran Enemigo Chacayes is a remarkable wine. An extraordinary red wine that is fruity and deep, with a surprising freshness and elegance comparable to the best red wines in the world.