Winemaker Notes
#82 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023
It has many aromatic layers, with floral and citrus notes that combine with hints of fresh grass, white fruits and orange. In the mouth, floral, fresh and fruity flavors are in perfect balance with the unctuousness of a successful aging in barrels. A mineral, persistent finish and a great aging potential.
Blend: 38% Semillón, 34% Sauvignon Blanc, 28% Torrontés
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A scented nose with pure golden berries, pears, fresh guava and a hint of grapes and lychee. Bright, high acidity on the palate with a fine, phenolic twist and minerality in the finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Most of the Sémillon vines in Argentina were planted in Mendoza, and the grape has adapted well to its dry climate. This is a blend of 45% Sémillon, 32% Sauvignon Blanc and 23% Torrontés from Paraje Altamira, resulting in a wine with depth and vigorous acidity. It offers flowers, honeydew, white peach, pear and hints of honey in both the nose and palate. This white has a mineral character and lemony finish.
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Wine Spectator
Offers aromas of gardenia and peach blossoms that leap from the glass, with traces of celery salt and lime zest underneath. Shows vibrant peach and finger lime on the palate, with a nice inlay of chalky minerality adding to the lingering finish. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Torrontés.
Susana Balbo graduated from Don Bosco University in Mendoza in 1981 and established herself as Argentina’s first female enologist and, since then, has been considered one of Argentina’s top winemakers. Three times her industry peers elected her to the Presidency of Wines of Argentina because of her work ethic, innovative winemaking techniques and dedication to the worldwide success of Argentine wine.
After working for twenty years as a consulting winemaker, Susana founded her own brand in 2000. In 2001, she broke ground for her winery in Agrelo in the Luján de Cuyo district of Mendoza. There, she makes her Susana Balbo "Signature" line of wines, as well as wines under the Crios, Nosotros and BenMarco labels. Her winemaking approach for the wines that bear her name is to seamlessly apply her human touch and enhance the grape’s innate character.
Over several decades of winemaking in Argentina, Susana has earned a reputation for a pioneering spirit and innovation. She is known for experimenting with various barrel sizes and aging regimens, fermentation of wine in egg-shaped concrete fermenters, and wild yeast fermentations. The Wine Advocate's Luis Gutierrez dubbed her groundbreaking barrel-fermented Torrontés one of the "10 Argentine Wines to Drink before You Die."
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
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.