Benegas Estate Don Tiburcio Red Blend Mendoza Argentina 2021
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Don Tiburcio Benegas, three times governor of Mendoza, founded Trapiche in 1883 and crossed the Andes by mule for vine cuttings, which he gave away to growers who shared his vision. Trapiche was later sold, but the family kept the Benegas name. In 1999, fourth-generation Federico Benegas Lynch bought back 40 hectares of Finca Libertad, the vineyard Don Tiburcio planted on an old riverbed along the upper Mendoza River in Maipú, where ungrafted vines still descend from cuttings he brought from France. The cuvée named for him joins Libertad's Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot with Malbec from the estate's La Encerrada vineyard in Gualtallary, high in the Uco Valley. The 2021 is half Malbec, with 20 percent each of the two Cabernets and 5 percent each of Merlot and Petit Verdot. Each variety ferments separately on native yeasts, then ages in French oak kept behind the fruit. Red and black fruit meet white pepper, clove, and cocoa, lifted by eucalyptus and thyme; the palate is full and plush, with round tannins and a long finish. Open it alongside a slow braise or a good steak, or give it a few more years; it has the structure for either.
