Bodega Benegas -- Luna Benegas Cabernet

If you know anything about Argentinian history, you know the Benegas name. The arrival of the railroad in 1884 plunged Mendoza Argentina into deep economic crisis, until the Benegas family pivots and shepherds the entire region into their current destiny: wine. Don Tiburcio Benegas was a visionary of the wine industry, promoting Mendoza’s irrigation system, helped construct the first dam in Mendoza, enacting the water law, crossed the Andes on mule in search of Chilean vine clippings, and even traveled to France for clippings of different varietals. While leading Bodega Benegas, he built the first gravity-fed winery, and also gave away his vine clippings to other kindred spirits in the area. Without him, we likely never would have heard of Mendoza Argentina.

Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon 100%

Region: Maipu, Mendoza, Argentina

Farming: High elevation river bank 2,800 ft above sea level, hand harvested

Winery: Aged 6 months in neutral French oak, 33 feet deep cellar to naturally cool the barrels