Description
Twice National Senator, three times Governor of the Province of Mendoza and two times Argentine Ambassador to Chile, Don Tiburcio Benegas was also a pioneer of the wine industry. He promoted Mendoza’s irrigation system; enacted the water law; and was instrumental in the building of the first dam in Mendoza. He crossed the Andes Mountains on mule looking for vine cuttings in Chile; then traveled to France looking for French varietals. He gave away vine cuttings to all of those who shared his vision, with the purpose of increasing the number of wineries and establish Mendoza as the premier wine region in Argentina. From 1883 to 1920 the hectares under vine increased from 2,000 to 40,000. In 1883, he founded El Trapiche in Mendoza, the first gravity-fed winery in Argentina. In 1970, El Trapiche and all its assets were sold.
Fourth generation winemaker Federico Benegas Lynch was born and raised in the El Trapiche winery, where from a young age, his father had taught him how to blind taste wines. When he grew older, he went on to study with some of the best winemakers at wineries around the world. In 1999, under the guidance of Angel Mendoza, Trapiche’s head winemaker, Federico repurchased the old vineyard (Finca Libertad) that had belonged to his family, and was planted by Don Tiburcio. The following year, Federico bought a nineteenth century winery, outfitted it with state-of-the-art winemaking equipment, and began producing wines under the Bodega Benegas label. In 2010, Bodega Benegas acquired Finca La Encerrada, located in Gualtallary, Tupungato in Uco Valley; perched at over 4500 feet above sea level, the vineyard is among Mendoza’s highest altitude vineyards. It yields elegant wines of intense color, with pronounced fruity and floral aromatics and remarkable texture, due in large part to the exceptional climate and soil conditions.
100% Malbec sourced from estate vineyard Finca La Encerrada. After a pre-fermentation cold maceration, the must was fermented in a stainless-steel tank at 77°F and saw a two-week extended maceration. Racked to barrel with natural malolactic fermentation. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.
Aromas of ripe dark fruit and a hint of violets, typical of the region. Bursting with intense flavors of fresh blackberry, boysenberry and dark plum. The palate is voluptuous, with soft rose petal-like, tannins that bloom across the palate. Wonderfully easy to drink, with a velvety texture and a luxuriously long, lingering finish.
