Domingo Lucas Bombal, born in Mendoza on October 18, 1892, returned from England in 1917 and took over the family businesses, which over time expanded beyond the winery to include extensive properties in Mendoza, Santa Fe, and San Luis. In 1919, a town was founded in Santa Fe that today bears his name: Bombal.

In Tupungato, he owned significant estates: Ancón, La Carrera, and Las Cuevas, which together covered 45,000 hectares. The Los Molles hot springs also belonged to the family. In La Carrera, livestock was raised — sheep, horses, and mules — while in Las Cuevas, Tupungato cheese was produced; in 1929 alone, 80,000 kilograms were made annually using milk from Friesian cows. In Ancón, walnut and chestnut trees flourished, and it was there that Château d’Ancón was built, conceived with every refinement as the family’s summer residence.

In Paris, he met Katherine Harrison West, whom he later married.

In addition to his activities in Mendoza, he owned a Celtic typewriter and sewing machine factory in Poitiers, France. In Paris, he also had a mansion on Avenue Jena, near the Arc de Triomphe, which housed important works of art.

From his marriage to Katherine Harrison West were born his two daughters: Lucila Isabel and María Lorine.

Lucila “Lucy” Bombal was a solid, captivating presence, deeply aware of the value of Ancón. Of serene beauty and strong character, she knew every corner of the estate and understood the project as a living continuity between family, landscape, and community.

Heir to a centuries-old history, she carried it forward without solemnity, with natural elegance and a daily connection to the land and to those who worked it. It was she who passed this knowledge on to Jorge Bailey, her life partner, introducing him to the family’s memory, the agricultural dimension of the place, and the responsibility of preserving a legacy.

Of broad culture and interests ranging from geopolitics to literature, Lucy fascinated her visitors with her refined English accent, inherited from her father, who had been educated at Eton. Warm and engaging, she shared her passion for livestock and harvests with genuine enthusiasm and maintained a deeply human relationship with those who worked alongside her.

Lucila radiated sophistication through her education and sensitivity, and welcomed prominent figures from different fields to Ancón, transforming the estate into a place of hospitality, encounter, and contemplation on the outskirts of Mendoza.

When her daily presence came to an end, her spirit found continuity. Ancón continues to move forward from that foundation: living memory, a sensitive gaze, and a form of hospitality born of a profound love for the land.

Lucila Bombal and Jorge Bailey met at a lecture Jorge gave on the Orient and were never separated thereafter. First, he shared his passion for that ancient culture with her, and together they traveled through Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. Later, Lucila passed on to him her love for her land and her people. Side by side, they worked tirelessly, watching the vineyards and the winery flourish. Together, they took pleasure in transforming the Château to welcome guests of the highest level, with an emphasis on quality, intimacy, and discretion; on the experience of the surroundings, its singular landscapes and local products; and above all on the traditional human warmth of the Bombal family.

Today, with Jorge Bailey at the helm, the Château reopens renewed, honoring the spirit and enduring legacy of Lucila—her brilliance, culture, and refinement—present and inspiring in every moment and every corner.

Ours is a story of love: for our land and our family, for work, for product, for our guests, and for a renewed affection for both our past and our future. To continue doing what we have always done: to give of ourselves. A luxury surrounded by nature. A place to fall in love—or to renew vows.