2015 El Enemigo Bonarda Mendoza Argentina 750 ml

If you took Argentine Malbec and shook it up with top Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, you’d get something close to this. But not exactly: For all of its juicy charm, this is a spicy, savory red from century-old vines that is deeply rooted to the one-of-a-kind vineyard where it was grown, and that winemaker Alejandro Vigil thankfully—and deliciously—saved from destruction.

Ancient vines may produce the most profound fruit, but they generally don’t grow a whole lot of it. So when Alejandro Vigil, the Chief Winemaker for legendary Catena Zapata, first saw the twelve-acre vineyard of Bonarda that now makes up this wine was slated to be ripped up and replaced with young vines, he knew he had to act. The Bonarda growing on those ancient pergolas was so pristine, so concentrated and full of character, that there was no way he was going to allow them to be destroyed. He succeeded in saving it, and in the process, a new classic was born.

Today, in tandem with Adrianna Catena, Vigil has translated that incredible site into a wine of power, finesse, and detail. We loved El Enemigo’s black currants and cranberries layered together with grill smoke, woodsy herbs, and secondary hints of bittersweet chocolate, anise, and black olives. James Suckling praised it as “tight and focused…with a mineral and dark berry character.” Wine Advocate was won over by its “unique” expression of the site, calling it “ripe and a little heady, balsamic and even minty.” 

Though Bonarda is often overshadowed by Malbec in its native Argentina, the medium-bodied red variety is the secret weapon of Argentine winemakers looking to add additional character to their wines. When elevated on its own in the El Enemigo tradition, Bonarda yields dazzling reds that will please lovers of juicy Malbec and spicy Cabernet alike—at prices far below what better-known grape varieties command.

That’s exactly the case with this bottling, which undergoes the same top-notch winemaking of El Enemigo’s high-scoring Malbecs. The 2015 El Enemigo Bonarda was fermented in large oak vats and concrete, which allows the unique character of the century-old Bonarda to shine through. Aging took place in a combination of French and American barrels, but because 70% of the French and only 30% of the American oak were new, the wine benefited from the baking spice notes and texture-softening effects without being defined by the wood.

Wines like this, which so clearly channel the essence of a high-altitude vineyard with such clarity, are rare. When you find them, they almost never ring in at less than $50. This one, however, is half of that.