Winemaker Notes
A fresh, pure expression of the variety that displays aromas of violets, cherries and spices. A fruity wine with balanced acidity on the palate, notes of ripe red fruits and a subtle hint of oak.
*The label for Crios de Susana Balbo Malbec is in the process of changing. You may receive either of these two labels featured above. Specific labels cannot be requested.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A rich but fresh malbec with bountiful ripe black cherries, dark olives and a touch of graphite. Medium- to full-bodied with ripe fruit, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Fruity in the solid, medium-length finish.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2023 Susana Balbo CRIOS Sustentia MALBEC Agrelo Mendoza reveals a deep, saturated ruby color, offering aromas of candied blackberries and fragrant spices; full bodied and pleasingly structured on the palate, it delivers a rush of delightful berry flavors with a hint of wood, finishing with layered persistence—perfect alongside Korean grilled pork (dwaeji bulgogi), where the sweet-spicy marinade and caramelized edges echo the wine’s ripe fruit and spice. (Tasted: April 2, 2026, San Francisco, CA)
After 22 years of winemaking, Susana Balbo has a strong sense of what she wants from her wines. From every harvest, she creates the grandest possible wines under her Susana Balbo label. To achieve this, she makes a rigorous selection of the finest barrels prior to making her final blends, dividing them into the parents (reserve level wines) and offspring or "crios."
Wines under her Crios label display ripe fruit flavors, excellent balance and concentration, and are meant to be enjoyed in their vibrant youth. These wines are produced under Dominio del Plata's code of sustainable agriculture.
Like Susana's own crios (a boy and a girl), they are extremely lovable and fun to be around. The label features a series of three connected and overlapping hands, an image inspired by a Mayan artifact. The artifact illustrates the interconnectedness of every generation, and the irony that we will be both the parent and the offspring at different times in our lives.
Most distinguished and celebrated from Argentina’s Mendoza, Malbec has seen runaway success since the early 2000s. Mendoza’s agreeable, continental climate with hot, dry summers and cold snowy winters allows the perfect conditions for growing outstanding Malbec. This grape is easy to like for its lusty, deep flavors and aromas of blackberry, plum, red cherry, autumn spice and tilled earth. It’s easy to find delicious, fruit-driven, affordable everyday examples and in prices beyond, quite exceptional ones with dense, supple textures that make them capable of aging.