Winemaker Notes
Sustentia Organic Malbec displays varietal purity, with notes of red berries standing out. Medium-bodied and with round tannins, this Malbec offers a very pleasant finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tasting the 2022 Crios Malbec next to the new organic one, it was easy to see how this wine from the Valle de Uco (from Los Chacayes, Vista Flores, Los Árboles and Gualtallary Sur) is subtler and has a different point of balance despite having very similar parameters. Here, 40% of the volume spends eight months in used French oak barrels, but there is no aromatic influence of the élevage. It's fresh, balanced and juicy but with a little more austerity and fine-grained tannins. Clean, approachable and tasty.
Barrel Sample: 91+ -
James Suckling
A ripe and generous malbec with some dark spices, black cherries and tapenade to the nose. Rich and flavorful on the palate with a medium body and direct, fruit-driven finish.
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.
Celebrated for its bold flavors and supple texture, Malbec has enjoyed runaway success in Argentina since the late 20th century. The grape originated in Bordeaux, France, where it historically contributed color and tannin to blends. A French agronomist, who saw great potential for the variety in Mendoza’s hot, high-altitude landscape, brought Malbec to Argentina in 1868. Somm Secret—If you’re trying to please a crowd, Malbec is generally a safe bet with its combination of dense fruit and soft tannins.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.