El Enemigo Chardonnay 2022

Produced by Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catena, El Enemigo 2022 Chardonnay is dry, full-bodied and produced from grapes sourced from vines more than 20 years of age planted in calcareous soils at a high-altitude vineyard of about 1,400 metres in the Gualtallary wine region. Perfumed with ripe stone fruit, lemon zest and saline mineral notes fresh on the palate, the wine finishes with a kiss of toasty oak spice. Very good now, it will continue to evolve and mature in bottle. Grapes for this vintage were hand-harvested and vinified in 500-litre French oak barrels (35% new) with native yeasts at a controlled temperature of 18ºC for 40 days. The wine was then aged under a yeast cap for 12 months in the same barrels.

Chardonnay food pairings: roast chicken, pork tenderloin, seafood chowder.

The wine we present here shows that Argentina is not just a land of reds, and that other grapes can also offer wonderful wines at these latitudes. El Enemigo Chardonnay is a surprising wine that both novices and experts can enjoy. It combines the best qualities of the Chardonnay grape, French barrels and masterfully organic aging, taking Mendoza's white wine to a level of complexity that was unsuspected until recently.

It smells of dried fruit (hazelnuts and almond peel) and candied fruit. In the mouth, the salinity of the organic refinement is felt with subtlety on a base of candied citrus, with a timid tropical memory. Notes of milk and toasting envelop an elegant, broad and atypical wine that deserves to be enjoyed calmly, perhaps with a sole meunière or with a good creamy goat or sheep cheese.

Serve between 6ºC and 8ºC