Another frankly sensational wine from the Finca Libertad vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina. There’s an amazing history here. The vineyards were originally planted by Tiburcio Benegas in about 1890 when he brought French vine stock over from Bordeaux. He was Governor of Mendoza at the time and also borrowed 5 million Francs and set up the Bank of  Mendoza.  The vineyards susequently flourished and went on to become El Trapiche which dominated the quality end of Argentinian wine production for most of the 20th century. It was still kept in the Benegas family for most of this period until it became so big it was inevitably split up and sold off. Federico J Benegas, a wonderful man and a friend of mine, simply took his Bank of Mendoza cheque book and bought back the original vineyard with quite possibly the best vines in Argentina, and set about striving for viticultural perfection. Michel Rolland of Bordeaux helps with the blending on all the Benegas reds – and as a result they’re all superb wines.

What’s it like?

Well it’s very limited with only 14500 bottles produced, from 55 year old vines. It’s a superb, big , warm and rounded wine, deliciously smooth and nowhere near as dry on the finish as many traditional Italian Sangioveses. This is highly recommended for those who are adventurous enough to try something out of the ordinary – you won’t be disappointed, it’s fantastic!

How much? Where do I buy it?

Buy Benegas Lynch Sangiovese 2006 from www.goodwineonline.co.uk for £16.99