El Enemigo — which translates as “The Enemy” — is a Mendoza-based winery that has consistently impressed me with their high-quality wines at incredibly reasonable prices. Their name is derived from a belief that our internal battles, the ones we fight against ourselves to get through difficult times, are the most memorable and most important. In parallel, this lesson can be applied to making wine – from efforts in the vineyard to make decisions that enhance grape quality to shepherding those grapes through the winemaking process where a winemaker gets one opportunity each year to perfect his art. This Chardonnay exceeds expectations. The fruit is ripe and ranges from tropical notes to ones more reminiscent of orchard fruits. The winemaking is done in French Oak and the winery permits the growth of flor, a yeast film that sits atop the wine that both impedes the access of oxygen keeping the wine fresh but also imparts complexity in flavor. The result is a sultry, complex Chardonnay that presents bruised pear, red apple, almond skin, pineapple, sourdough, lime meringue, and cream notes. Remarkably, this wine is still under $30 in the U.S. market. Whatever the struggle this winery is experiencing, the result is excellent.
El Enemigo, Mendoza (Argentina) Chardonnay 2020
By Vince Simmon