Benegas Lynch – Time Capsule Wines
Step back in time and see the future. Wine Republic visits a jewel of a winery.
When Federico Benegas Lynch decided to renovate his beautiful 100-year old winery, he had trouble making the plaster stick.
“You just cannot get the adobe skilled workers anymore,” explained the wiry ex-banker with grey flecked hair and pixie-like meggle, “and I truly wanted to keep this winery in the traditional style.”
Looking around he seems to have made an excellent job of it. This winery, 20 minutes south of the city, has to be one of the most gorgeous boutique bodegas in Mendoza, combining tradition with modern flair and style. The plaster problem was solved with an old Mexican recipe of cactus juice. Now, warm, cappuccino-colored walls are topped with arched windows and hedged with lines of vines in an ample courtyard.
“Why all the doors?” I asked, noting the low building to the front that looked like an upscale stables.
“Blood-coloured concrete tanks stand in a neat row”
“Earthquakes,” he explained, “back in those days people had to get out fast!”
We entered the larger building. It has an attractive central salon with two never-ending white sofas on either side, showered with a multitude of cushions. A large stainless steel hood gleams in the corner, covering an indoor grill. A long, dark polished table of oak stands in the centre. Thick, luxurious ponchos hang from the walls, their rich, colourful fibre contrasting with the stark brick and adobe walls.
We tour the immaculate winery. Blood-coloured concrete tanks stand in a neat row, their polished steel doors betraying the high tech winemaking that takes place here. The cellar is an atmospheric corridor of tall square pillars, dividing neat lines of new oak barrels. The aesthetic is at once monastic and romantic, convent-like and cool.
“Tiburcio started his own revolution in wine.”
“Whats with all the ponchos?”
“I’m a collector,” he says. “Here you see ponchos that once belonged to great Indian chiefs, gifted to my great grandfather Tiburcio Benegas Lynch.
The Lynch name stems from an exodus of the Irish tribe that fled religious persecution in 1702. They spread across the world and left their mark in many places, not least Bordeaux where the Chateau Lynch Bages produces wines to this day. The Argentine contingent became successful merchants in Buenos Aires. They continued an aristocratic line that digressed in many directions, one as far as Cuba in the name of Che Guevara Lynch.
Tiburcio ended up in Mendoza in the late 19th century and started his own revolution in wine by founding Trapiche – currently Argentina’s biggest winery. He is regarded as one of the great pioneers who introduced fine wine making to the Americas. He foresaw the coming railway would change everything and the then dormant Mendoza wine industry would get a huge boost with easy access to Buenos Aires. He made an epic trip to Bourdeaux, crossing the Andes by mule and catching a boat from Chile. He returned with saplings of the noble grape varieties that are now the foundation of Argentine wine.
The business boomed but like many wine families, Benegas Lynch sold up in the 1970s and they moved to Buenos Aires.
“He made an epic trip to Bourdeaux, crossing the Andes by mule.”
Federico returned in 1998 and bought Finca Libertad in Cruz Piedras, a 40-hectare vineyard planted by the Benegas family in 1900. The winery is close by, on the Route 60, bordering Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu.
We left the winery and crossed the courtyard into the multi-doored building which is now Federico’s home, one that he shares with his charming partner Carmen. We begin an epic tasting of some epic wines. The powerful Benegas Lynch Meritage stood out as a classic Bourdeaux style blend, dark purple with an earthy nose. The Cabernet Franc lacked its complexity but had delicious sweet tannins and lots of fruit up front.
“Believe it or not, this vine has come full circle”. says Federico. “French winemakers have taken samples back to France, intrigued to find original phyloxeras-free vines in Argentina.”
Federico is concentrating on making high quality boutique wines and for this reason has hired Michel Rolland as consultant. Other varietals include a smooth, good bodied Syrah and a light, fruity Sangiovese. He has named some of his labels after his children, eager to stress his family’s heritage.
“Our wines are very much like time capsules.” he says, “holding the taste, heritage and history of vines planted by my Great grandfather that I hope will continue revealing their secrets for many years to come.”
Step back in time and see the future. Wine Republic visits a jewel of a winery.
When Federico Benegas Lynch decided to renovate his beautiful 100-year old winery, he had trouble making the plaster stick. “You just cannot get the adobe skilled workers anymore,” explained the wiry ex-banker with grey flecked hair and pixie-like meggle, “and I truly wanted to keep this winery in the traditional style.” Looking around he seems to have made an excellent job of it. This winery, 20 minutes south of the city, has to be one of the most gorgeous boutique bodegas in Mendoza, combining tradition with modern flair and style. The plaster problem was solved with an old Mexican recipe of cactus juice. Now, warm, cappuccino-colored walls are topped with arched windows and hedged with lines of vines in an ample courtyard.“Why all the doors?” I asked, noting the low building to the front that looked like an upscale stables.
“Earthquakes,” he explained, “back in those days people had to get out fast!” We entered the larger building. It has an attractive central salon with two never-ending white sofas on either side, showered with a multitude of cushions. A large stainless steel hood gleams in the corner, covering an indoor grill. A long, dark polished table of oak stands in the centre. Thick, luxurious ponchos hang from the walls, their rich, colourful fibre contrasting with the stark brick and adobe walls.We tour the immaculate winery. Blood-coloured concrete tanks stand in a neat row, their polished steel doors betraying the high tech winemaking that takes place here. The cellar is an atmospheric corridor of tall square pillars, dividing neat lines of new oak barrels. The aesthetic is at once monastic and romantic, convent-like and cool.
“Whats with all the ponchos?”“I’m a collector,” he says. “Here you see ponchos that once belonged to great Indian chiefs, gifted to my great grandfather Tiburcio Benegas Lynch.The Lynch name stems from an exodus of the Irish tribe that fled religious persecution in 1702. They spread across the world and left their mark in many places, not least Bordeaux where the Chateau Lynch Bages produces wines to this day. The Argentine contingent became successful merchants in Buenos Aires. They continued an aristocratic line that digressed in many directions, one as far as Cuba in the name of Che Guevara Lynch.Tiburcio ended up in Mendoza in the late 19th century and started his own revolution in wine by founding Trapiche – currently Argentina’s biggest winery. He is regarded as one of the great pioneers who introduced fine wine making to the Americas. He foresaw the coming railway would change everything and the then dormant Mendoza wine industry would get a huge boost with easy access to Buenos Aires. He made an epic trip to Bourdeaux, crossing the Andes by mule and catching a boat from Chile. He returned with saplings of the noble grape varieties that are now the foundation of Argentine wine.The business boomed but like many wine families, Benegas Lynch sold up in the 1970s and they moved to Buenos Aires.
Federico returned in 1998 and bought Finca Libertad in Cruz Piedras, a 40-hectare vineyard planted by the Benegas family in 1900. The winery is close by, on the Route 60, bordering Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu.We left the winery and crossed the courtyard into the multi-doored building which is now Federico’s home, one that he shares with his charming partner Carmen. We begin an epic tasting of some epic wines. The powerful Benegas Lynch Meritage stood out as a classic Bourdeaux style blend, dark purple with an earthy nose. The Cabernet Franc lacked its complexity but had delicious sweet tannins and lots of fruit up front.“Believe it or not, this vine has come full circle”. says Federico. “French winemakers have taken samples back to France, intrigued to find original phyloxeras-free vines in Argentina.”Federico is concentrating on making high quality boutique wines and for this reason has hired Michel Rolland as consultant. Other varietals include a smooth, good bodied Syrah and a light, fruity Sangiovese. He has named some of his labels after his children, eager to stress his family’s heritage.“Our wines are very much like time capsules.” he says, “holding the taste, heritage and history of vines planted by my Great grandfather that I hope will continue revealing their secrets for many years to come.”
