Once again, Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catena have set a new benchmark, this time with El Enemigo As Bravas Malbec, – a wine that some call “the finest Malbec Gran Reserva ever tasted.”
This single-varietal, high-altitude Malbec is a tribute to the fearless women of Mendoza. Sourced from a tiny vineyard at 1,300 meters in the I.G.P. Cordón El Cepillo of the Uco Valley, the vines thrive in a unique terroir where glacial moraine meets marine limestone.
Following their groundbreaking work with Cabernet Sauvignon, Alejandro and Adrianna have now captured Malbec’s most vibrant and robust expression. The extended ageing — over four years in 2,000-liter oak foudres — further enhances the wine’s remarkable structure, stony minerality, and ageing potential. With As Bravas, they have once again proven the extraordinary potential of Argentina’s native grapes.
El Enemigo As Bravas Malbec 2016 Vintage:
The 2016 vintage stands out as the coolest in the last 30 years, shaped by an exceptional winter snowfall that replenished mountain streams and underground aquifers to historic levels. The Andes remained snow-capped well into summer, creating striking contrasts with the lush vineyards below. Yields were significantly reduced — down 40 to 50% — leading to wines of remarkable concentration, minerality, and exceptional ageing potential.
El Enemigo As Bravas Malbec 2016 Tasting Notes:
“There is a new top of the range produced with pure Malbec from a very small plot in the Cordón El Cepillo. It’s a cool place with a small slope in a mostly flat vineyard with very different soils and angular stones in a place that has glacier moraine, which is completely different from the rest of the vineyard. It makes the grapes ripen much earlier and gives a very strict and stony wine with a textured palate with abundant dusty tannins. 2016 was a super cold and rainy year, and the 2016 As Bravas Malbec has only 12.5% alcohol and incredible freshness. It’s only medium-bodied with gobsmacking balance and is incredibly harmonious, nuanced and subtle, with all that it needs for a very long life in bottle. This is serious, tight, austere and incredibly elegant. It matured in 2,000-liter oak foudres for some 60 months..”
Food pairing suggestion: Beef carpaccio
El Enemigo As Bravas Malbec Awards
Vintage 2016:
The Wine Advocate – 99 points
James Suckling – 97 points
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