Benegas Estate Cabernet Franc

Federico Benegas Lynch was raised at ‘El Trapiche’, a winery established in 1883 by his great, great grandfather, Don Tiburcio Benegas, one of the original pioneers of Argentine wine. The winery was finally sold in the 1970s and in 1998, following a successful business career in Buenos Aires, Federico returned to Mendoza to re-kindle his lifelong passion and professional destiny, wine. He bought Finca La Libertad, an historic 40-hectare vineyard with ‘soils’ of stone on the old Upper Mendoza riverbank in Cruz de Piedra, and the old winery that belonged to his mother’s family which he quickly set about refurbishing. His idea was based on the traditional French Châteaux system, where proprietorship of vineyard and winery are inextricably linked.

Today Bodega Benegas itself is a marvel, a real treat for the visitor, a sort of hybrid between a museum and a welcoming family home with extensive underground cellars where archive vintages are kept, and upstairs one of the most impressive dining rooms you can imagine (with legendary asado to match if you’re lucky).

And the wines? Well, forget about the ‘New World’. This is one of the best ways to experience Argentina’s distinctly European wine culture. Of course, there is lovely opulence, purity and generosity in the fruit, but there is also tension, sometimes an exciting nervosity in the structure.

Benegas is one of the great true stories of the wine world, a slice of living history no less, and with Gisella Garrido and Maria Alvarez in the winemaker’s team at the helm day-to-day, the future looks very bright indeed.

Cabernet Franc,

Picked from a mix of parcels from Benegas' younger Cabernet Franc vines which are descended from the ancient vineyards planted by Tiburcio Benegas in 1888 in the Finca Libertad vineyard in Mendoza's Upper River Bank at 850m altitude.

The grapes were cold soaked and then fermented in stainless steel tanks with native yeasts. Macerated on the skins for 2 weeks post fermentation, the wine was then racked and underwent malolactic fermentation before 6 months aging in French oak barrels.

Is it just us or is the only thing stopping a revolution spearheaded by this grape variety the sad lack of current plantings? Cabernet Franc seems to do so well in Mendoza, ripening beautifully and harnessing so well those classic characteristics – ripe red fruits, bell peppers, maybe a touch of graphite, and silky tannins. It is also much more reliable from vintage to vintage than its counterparts in the Loire, and thus plantings are increasing rapidly. This gorgeous example from Benegas is one of the ‘bigger’ examples on offer, with plenty of depth to the dark fruit character and a sensible, judicious use of oak.

Herbaceous nose to begin with, fresh and complex aromas of red fruits such as currants, raspberries and plums. Elegant freshness on the initial palate with a meatiness in the mid palate with friendly ripe and round tannins. Long and silky finish.

Drink with Moussaka or grilled meats.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight On French Red Wines & Their Global Influences blog

Outside of France, I have found that Argentina is making my favourite expressions of single varietal Cabernet Franc, these are generally very different to the Loire style but equally worth seeking out. I would go as far as to say that Cabernet Franc is currently the most exciting grape variety coming out of Argentina at the moment! Bodegas Benegas were the first winery to plant Cabernet Franc in Argentina back in 1888, it would be rude not to focus on one of their expressions.

Mendoza is one of the highest altitude wine regions in the world, reaching up to 1500m above sea level. This creates the all-important diurnal swing in temperatures, drawing out the growing season that allows grapes to reach their full phenolic ripeness while retaining their all-important acidity to keep the wines balanced. The Andean peaks, running up the Eastern edge of Mendoza create a rain shadow. With almost zero cloud cover, the grapes can absorb all the suns energy.

Mendoza is an arid semi desert landscape so vineyard pests such as insects and fungus are not an issue. Because of the mountains, water is not a problem either in this arid region. A historical practice, which some farms still use, is to flood their land every spring with the melt water that cascades down from the Andes. The more common and environmentally sound method, practiced by Bodegas Benegas, is to capture this melt water in reservoirs and to use drip irrigation only when needed.

Cabernet Franc does incredibly well in Mendoza, perfect ripeness is easy to achieve and the grapes classic characteristics shine through. Ripe red fruits, bell peppers, a touch of graphite, and silky tannins. Mendoza’s Cabernet Francs are also much more reliable from vintage to vintage than its counterparts in the Loire, which can vary massively. Plantings in Mendoza are increasing rapidly, this can only be a good thing.

The wine in this bottle is from younger Cabernet Franc vines which are descended from the ancient vineyards planted by Tiburcio Benegas in 1888, in the Finca Libertad vineyard at 850m altitude on Mendoza's Upper River Bank. These youthful vines provide deliciously vibrant fruit. The grapes were cold soaked and then fermented in stainless steel tanks with native yeasts. Macerated on the skins for 2 weeks post fermentation, the wine was then racked and underwent malolactic fermentation before 6 months aging in French oak barrels.

Herbaceous to begin with on the nose, fresh and complex aromas of red fruits such as currants, raspberries and plums. Elegant freshness on the initial palate with a meatiness in the mid palate. The tannins are ripe, rounded and pure velvet in the mouth. This broader shouldered style of Cab Franc matches perfectly with richer foods such as moussaka and lamb shoulder.