Enate Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot

Enate and art, they almost rhyme which is, perhaps, no coincidence, come together at a lofty point: the desire to create. When it began in 1992, the winery decided that the pairing of winemaking and contemporary culture would be an essential feature of its character. It was a tricky challenge from a business point of view as well as from an artistic perspective, but it was an undisputed triumph and was copied by others. The concept was a winner: the excellence of an idea is obvious once someone, in this case Enate, has been brave enough to work it out.

It was, in fact, a desire to create. In the same way as a winery is unthinkable without wine, Enate accepted art as the very essence of its identity. The two concepts begin together and mutually enrich one another. Human beings are, essentially, creators of one kind or another and we naturally love the pleasures of life. In 1992, Enate made a formal commitment to pairing the two concepts, contrasting the almost mathematical expertise of a winemaker with the unpredictability of artists inspired by winemaking. Today, Enate is both a winery and a museum. It is both a wine shop and an art gallery and its character has been formed in the excellence of both. Its barrels and walls sum up the great wines of Spain, inhabited by the genius of the great Spanish and international creators.

Vineyards

All Enate’s plots are in municipalities belonging to the D.O. Somontano in the province of Huesca.  Somontano’s special conditions mean it is an excellent place for vine-growing, due to a big temperature difference between day and night during the ripening of the grapes (which ensures slow ripening), sandy loam texture of the soil which is permeable to water, pure water from the melting of the snow in the Pyrenees.

Vinification

Harvested by hand, both varieties were separately vinified in stainless steel tanks, with an alcoholic fermentation which lasted 20 to 30 days, followed by malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged for 6 months in 225-litre French and American oak barrels and then in bottle for a further 12 months.

Tasting Notes

Medium intensity cherry colour. Suggestive, complex nose of woodland fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry) with elegant floral touches (violet) and traces of pepper, vanilla and underbrush. A soft, rounded palate on a feather bed of tannins opening the way to a flavourful finish in the mouth, with toasty notes. Balanced acidity, which will make it improve in the bottle over the next five years.