Susana Balbo Signature Brioso Red Blend 2017
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Deep, bright ruby red color. It shows sweet red and black fruits, subtle oak and a great backbone of tannins. The red and black fruit aromas followed by an elegant grip over florality comes from the Cabernet Sauvignon. The other grapes blend in to add flavor and complexity. It has a fine, lifted finish with great ageing potential.
Blend: 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Malbec, 22% Cabernet Franc y 5% Petit Verdot
Pairs well with beef, pork, lamb, squab, quail and duck.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The classical Agrelo red 2017 Brioso is a blend of 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Malbec, 22% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, matured together in brand-new French oak barrels for 15 months. It's herbal, spicy and has notes of berries and some spicy oak without excess. There is ripeness but no excess and very good freshness. There are some roasted flavors (coffee, dark chocolate) in the finish.
-
Wine Spectator
A robust red, with richly spiced flavors of dark plum, blackberry and boysenberry, lathered with notes of chocolate mousse. The suave finish lingers with licorice and pepper hints. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Other Vintages
2021-
James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
Tasting
Panel
-
Tasting
Panel -
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
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.”
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.