Steven Spurrier tastes the latest wines from Susana Balbo, the forward looking winemaker who has been at the forefront of the Argentinian wine scene for over 30 years...
Scroll down to see Steven’s tasting notes
Susana Balbo was Argentina’s first female enologist after graduating with honours from the Don Bosco University in Mendoza in 1981. Her first job took her north to Salta, where her first vintage of premium Torrontes attracted significant attention.
Innovation
Innovation being her driving force, she has experimented with barrel volumes from 160 to 6,500 litres, tested wild versus cultured yeasts, and has finally settled on concrete eggs for fermentation. The egg’s porous concrete breathes like oak yet allows the wine to develop as if it were made in stainless steel, resulting in a pure expression of fruit with a richer, more complex mouthfeel.
Next generation
As a leader of the industry, she has been elected three times as President of Wines of Argentina. In 2011 and 2012 her son José and her daughter Ana joined her to help build Susana Balbo Wines to where it is today and beyond.
That Susana and her children continually seek uncharted territory (both geographically and technically) was supremely evident from a recent tasting of a dozen wines at 67 Pall Mall, five of which are selected below.
Steven Spurrier’s tasting notes:
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