2023 El Enemigo Semillon Mendoza 750 ml

We always know Alejandro Vigil's El Enemigo Semillon will be outstanding.

First, the 100-point winemaker helms the iconic Bodega Catena Zapata as his day job. Second, Vigil's mastery of unconventional techniques and obsessive attention to detail sets him apart in Argentina's increasingly competitive wine scene.

So expectations are always high—yet the 2023 El Enemigo Sémillon STILL blasted past them. James Suckling awarded it 96 points, praising its elegance and powerful minerality.

Vigil stands out among an increasingly competitive Argentine wine community because of his relentless drive and fanatical attention to detail. There's seemingly no labor he won't undertake in pursuit of quality.

This Semillon is born from drama, yet emerges with elegance and grace. The 2023 vintage faced spring frosts that drastically reduced yields, followed by a dry, warm season. The result? An early harvest that produced wines with high natural acidity, low alcohol, and the vintage's trademark powerful minerality and texture.

Grown in Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo at over 3,000 feet above sea level on clay soils, the fruit comes from a high-density vineyard where each plant is carefully tended. After pressing, Vigil ferments and ages the wine for 15 months in French oak barrels—and here's where it gets interesting: 35% of the wine develops flor, a thin layer of wild yeast that coaxes out additional complexity while keeping the wine bright and energetic. That's a highly technical, difficult process, and a rarity among Argentine whites.