MENDOZA - ARGENTINA

Bodega Benegas is the result of Federico Benegas Lynch effort and passion. He was born and grew up in “El Trapiche” winery founded by his great grandfather in It was in 1998 that he returned to the wine business when he bought 40 hectares of Finca Libertad, an old family estate, and an exclusive winery that had belonged to his mother´s family, Gladys Alurralde Norton. He started there the production of high quality wines emulating the concept of french “chateaux” where the ownership of the winery and the vineyard are the key to produce an excellence wine.

The Benegas family has a long a tradition in the wine history. Tiburcio Benegas was the founder of the wine industry in Mendoza. Benegas brought the first French grapevines ever introduced in Argentina, along with the most advanced technology available at the time. In 1883, Tiburcio Benegas bought a vineyard which he called "El Trapiche" and that would eventually attain international fame and prestige.

Federico J. Benegas Lynch was born in the winery in He grew up by his father's side, sampling wines and working in the vineyard. It was in 1998 that Federico J. resumed his activity as winemaker when he settled on 40 hectares of Finca Libertad, part of the old Benegas family property, and bought an exclusive winery.

Benegas winery is located in the department of Luján de Cuyo, 5 kilometers from Libertad Vineyard, located in Maipú. The departments of Maipú and Luján de Cuyo are considered the regions responsible for producing the best quality wines of Argentina. Mendoza Province: In the west side of Argentina, bordering with Chile, stands the province of Mendoza, worldwide famous for its excellent wines. This province produces nearly 70% of the wines made in the country. Argentina is the world's 5th largest wine producer. Mendoza is the most important viticulture region of the country. During the last decades, this sector has reached a high degree of development, which evidences in the improvement of vines and technology.

Vineyard: 40 hectares. Finca Libertad. Location: Mendoza province. Argentina. 800 mts above sea level. Grape Varieties: Finca Libertad has has today a Cabernet Franc that is a 100 years old, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sangiovese that is 70 years old and Syrah and Merlot that is 40 years old.

Winery capacity Total: lt Concrete: lt Oak barrels: barrels Capacity of bottle storage: bottles It is located in the Luján de Cuyo region. This old winery is one of the few historic relics that remain from the old Mendoza of the end of the XIXth century

Our underground cave has 6 metres depth, rock walls and soil grounds which sheltered more than 40 oak french barrels with litres in each one. Today it has a capacity for barrels of 225 litres. The old winery also had 8 blending concrete vessels with litres each one- typical vessels of big dimension. Today, those concrete vessels have been transformed into excellent wine cellars where our storage wine is settled for some time in order to recover all the complexity it had at the moment of being bottled. The wine cellars have a capacity for bottles.

Winemaker: Federico Benegas Lynch Winemaker Consultant: Michel Rolland Our wines are exclusively made with grapes from our vineyards where the average yield is of kilos of grape per hectare. The harvest is manual with raceme selection in the vineyard, followed by rejection of non ripe racemes or of those showing signs of disease. Transport is carried out in 20 kg plastic cases within two hours after harvest to protect the grapes and prevent bruising of the fruit. Wines are fermented in new French oak casks.

Benegas Winery has today three brands available for the local and international market: Benegas Lynch line, Benegas Estate line and Benegas Family line. Benegas Lynch Brand Benegas Lynch Meritage (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot). Benegas Lynch Cabernet Franc (100% Cabernet Franc)

Benegas Estate Line Benegas Finca Libertad (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot). Benegas Sangiovese (100% Sangiovese) Benegas Syrah (100% Syrah) Benegas Malbec (100% Malbec) Benegas Family Line Don Tiburcio (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec) Clara Benegas (100% Chardonnay) Carmela Benegas (Rose of Cab Franc.) Juan Benegas ( 100% Malbec) Luna Benegas (100% Cabernet Sauvingon)

Wine Advocate Magazine (USA, December 2008): Benegas Lynch Meritage 2005: 92 points Benegas Lynch Cabernet Franc 2006: 90 points Benegas Finca Libertad 2005: 91 points Benegas Estate Syrah 2006: 91 points Benegas Estate Sangiovese 2006: 90 points Benegas Malbec 2006: 89 points. Stephen Tanzer´s International Wine Cellar (USA January 2009) Benegas Estate Malbec 2006: 89+ points. Don Tiburcio Benegas 2005: 89 points “Great Value” Finca Libertad Benegas Estate 2005: 89 points Benegas Estate Sangiovese 2006: 88 points Wine Spectator Magazine (USA, May 2006) Benegas Lynch Cabernet Franc 2002: 90 points Wine Advocate Magazine (December 2007) Benegas Lynch Meritage 2003: 91 points Benegas Estate Finca Libertad 2003: 90 + points Benegas Estate Line Syrah 2005: 90 points Wine Enthusiast Magazine (USA, January 2007): Benegas Malbec 2005: 91 points.

Tanzer´s International Wine Cellar (February 2008) Benegas Estate Malbec 2005: 90 points Benegas Lynch Cabernet Franc 2003: 89 points Benegas Lynch Meritage 2002: 91 points Benegas Don Tiburcio 2003: 89 points Vinalies Contest, Paris, France: One of the two most difficult contests in the world. Benegas Blend: Gold Medal and higher Argentine score. Decanter Magazine. ( UK, April Steven Spurrier) Benegas Lynch Meritage Best New World Red: Not to be confused with the Pauillac Lynches, this top selection from an ambitious new winery in Mendoza has 50% old-vine cabernet Franc to match the usual Bordeaux grapes. Good concentration, long, succulent fruit and fine-grained tannins, this is worth the high price. Up to £34,99. Decanter World Wine Awards: Benegas Sangiovese 2001 and Benegas Blend 2000.

Federico Benegas Lynch Profile Federico Benegas Lynch was born in Godoy Cruz, Mendoza province in Argentina in Since 1970 he lives in Buenos Aires City where he graduated in Operative Investigation at the Catholic University of Argentina (UCA). For more than 25 years he worked in the financial market and developed activities in other sectors. In 1997, he became a member of the Board of Directors of Peñaflor and Trapiche wineries, which were then under the control of Luis A. Pulenta and DLJ. He resigned to his position in March In 1998 he resumed his activity as a winemaker after buying an old family property and an antique winery in Mendoza province. For his first harvest launched in 2000 he worked together with Daniel Llose, oenologist of Lynch Bage, Pichon Longeville Baron and Cantenac Brown, and for the following ones he had Michel Rolland as a consultant. Today Federico Benegas Lynch is Benegas Winery president and winemaker.

“Benegas Wines have a strong personality which is result of a very unique terroir for its quality and the combination of French and Argentine traditions. Benegas wines are a reflection of Federico Benegas Lynch passion and his constant search for excellence” (Michel Rolland)