A pioneering legacy
When Otto Peter Bemberg left Germany and made his way to Argentina in 1850, he didn’t just bring the entrepreneurial nous that made him a successful businessman. He also carried his love of wine which would be passed down through the generations.
Having been leaders of the Argentinian beer market for the past 150 years, in 2010 the Bembergs decided to reinvent themselves through viticulture with the purchase of Grupo Peñaflor, the leading exporter of Argentinian wines and owner of Trapiche among several other leading estates.
Having become key players of the Argentinian wine scene, the Bembergs’s original passion for wine grew further and they decided to found a new winery, specifically built upon the family’s values. Bemberg Estate Wines was thus born: ‘Much more than a collection of wines, the project is a way of honouring our lineage and building our own family legacy.’
Finca El Tomillo, a unique vineyard
Located in Gualtallary (Uco Valley), at an altitude of almost 1200 metres, the Finca El Tomillo vineyard is the beating heart of Bemberg Estate Wines.
Studied to a level of detail never before seen in Argentina, the vineyard has unique native flora, high-altitude mesoclimate and soil profile, which chief winemaker Daniel Pi and his team interpret in the cellar to get the best out of each variety.
‘Respecting every variation in the terroir was the premise on which this vineyard, which has characteristics not found elsewhere in Argentina, was founded. We tried different varieties in order to unlock the best expression of each section, and eventually selected parcels that provide the purity and identity we believe should represent Bemberg Estate Wines,’ explains Daniel Pi.
The winery is run sustainably and equipped with the latest technology designed to allow the micro-vinification of each individual parcel. This is the only way to achieve the quality required of Bemberg Estate Wines, as seen in Pionero, the winery’s flagship Bordeaux blend, which pays tribute to the visionary talents of Otto Peter Bemberg. It has been described by Daniel Pi as ‘the best wine I’ve ever made.’
La Linterna Microterroir, world class wines from Argentina
The same effort and level of detail goes into the exclusive La Linterna Microterroir collection, which includes limited editions (between 3000 and 4000 bottles per label) of wines that embody the underlying mission of Bemberg Estate Wines: to make the best wines in Argentina.
Made with native yeasts in concrete wine glass-shaped tanks – designed by the winemaker himself – La Linterna Microterroir wines are then precision-aged in barrels, foudres or casks depending on the effect Daniel Pi is looking to achieve for each parcel.
The painstaking craft that goes into every bottle has earned Bemberg Estate Wines honours at major international awards, including the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022, where they fetched two Platinum Medals for La Linterna Finca El Tomillo Parcela #1 Chardonnay 2017 and La Linterna Finca La Yesca Parcela #13 Malbec 2015 (both with a 97 points score), a Gold Medal for La Linterna Finca El Tomillo Parcela #1 Chardonnay 2018 (95pts) and four Silver Medals.
‘We’re making classical fine wines, not just going along with the latest trends,’ says Daniel Pi, summing up a philosophy that requires a special appreciation of the soils, altitudes and micro climates of each individual parcel.
