Susana Balbo Wines BenMarco Malbec 2014 | Experience Argentina’s First Woman of Wine
Winemaker Susana Balbo Notes: Los Chacayes is an extraordinary Terroir. Its sandy loam and rocky soils guarantee good permeability, limit plants growth and assure perfect ripeness. Susana Balbo Wines BenMarco Malbec 2014 is a testament to Uco Valley where it hails from, proffering a bouquet of fresh black fruit, floral notes of violets, with bright acidity, firm tannins, and great length. Pair with beef, sausages, spiced or grilled pork, medium-strong cheeses, and meat-based pasta sauces.
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JS93 | BenMarco Malbec 2014 is a savory and juicy wine with blackberry and dark chocolate character. Full body, velvety tannins, and a delicious finish. Rich tannin texture gives linear definition.
D91 | Bright and floral on the nose, this has youthful dark fruit as well as prunes and earthy tones. Lean and fine textured in the mouth. The fruit is a little sweet but there are nice ripe strawberry flavors and a flower-laden finish.
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RP90 | As it was the case with 2013, the BenMarco Malbec 2014 was produced with grapes from vineyards in Los Chacayes in the Valle de Uco and produced with as little intervention as possible, following the ideas of vineyard manager Edgardo del Popolo. It matured in used French oak barrels for one year. There are notes of ripe plums and dark cherries, with a fresher palate and fine tannins, good balance and a dry, mineral finish. The riper notes turned more floral with time in the glass. It’s an impressive 2014, especially for the price.
About BenMarco Wines
In 1999 Winemaker Susana Balbo crafted a line of wines to showcase the ripe fruit expression of her sustainably-farmed Mendoza vineyards. The philosophy is a simple one: grow great grapes and make wines that are true to their place. Susana Balbo Wines practice minimal intervention during the growing season and through harvest allows the true fruit character to develop. Combine this with Susana’s winemaking skills and the result is wines that express the powerful fruit flavors, the ripe tannins and the incredible length and balance that can only come from this one place: Mendoza.
About Winemaker Susana Balbo
Born into a traditional family, Winemaker Susana Balbo reneged on her fate since she was young by applying to study nuclear physics in Bariloche. Being this a very unconventional choice for the time, her parents refused to let her leave Mendoza. From that point, Susana decided to follow the family business (viticulture) professionally. Thus, challenging the contemporary social beliefs, because at that time no women had graduated as winemaker.
AN EXCEPTIONAL CAREER: In 1981 Susana received her degree in enology, and became the first woman in Argentina to do so. Her career started in Cafayate, Salta province at Michel Torino winery where she was in charge of developing and stylizing the Torrontes varietal. Afterward, she worked at many well-regarded wineries such as Martins and Catena Zapata.
In 2012, Susana Balbo was recognized as one of the “Most influential women wine-makers” by The Drink Business magazine. Recently, in 2015, she was awarded by the same magazine as “Woman of the year”.