It all began with a Basque great-grandfather who crossed the Atlantic in the late 19th century. His brother got off in Uruguay; he kept going to Buenos Aires and made his way to General Las Heras, where he built the estancia with his own hands. The tower was his way of watching the horizon.

The Aberdeen Angus and Hereford herds once competed at La Rural, Argentina's legendary agricultural fair. The artisan honeys come from hives that still stand on the property. The small pink house where the first generation lived sits at the edge of the park. And the flan de la abuela Mimi — grandma Mimi's crème caramel, passed down through three generations — is the sweetest way to close any day. General Las Heras, in case you didn't know, is the national capital of Pato, the Argentine horseback sport.