Winemaker Notes
Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Gorgeous pure cabernet sauvignon aromas with currants, blackberry and stones. Full body, round tannins and savory, almost walnut undertones. A single vineyard wine from near Gualtallary. Excellent quality for the money. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Susana Balbo Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from Los Arboles in the district of Tunuyan in the Uco Valley. This is a cooler zone with some calcium carbonate in the soil where the grape ripens well that Balbo likes for Cabernet. The wine matured in 50% new French oak barriques (they have reduced the amount of new oak, which in the past reached 100%) with a medium toast in order to respect the fruit purity. This smells of ripe, very healthy grapes, cherries and fresh plums accented by hints of black pepper and a notable absence of green aromas. She dislikes the bell pepper aromas and prefers the fresher mint and actively searches for black pepper and avoids the overripe character. The palate is elegant, with some grip from the earthy tannins and has very good acidity and balance. A sleek, polished Cabernet with a little bit of a French accent. 60,000 bottles produced.
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."
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
With a winning combination of cool weather, high elevation and well-draining alluvial soils, it is no surprise that Mendoza’s Uco Valley is one of the most exciting up-and-coming wine regions in Argentina. Healthy, easy-to-manage vines produce low yields of high-quality fruit, which in turn create flavorful, full-bodied wines with generous acidity.
This is the source of some of the best Malbec in Mendoza, which can range from value-priced to ultra-premium. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay also perform well here.