2020 Susana Balbo "Brioso" Red Mendoza

Like Agrelo's ripe and expansive character, this blend is 43% cabernet sauvignon, 26% malbec, 17% cabernet franc, and the rest is petit verdot. The fruit is black, and the texture is ample, with the fat and silky tannins that are very typical of the zone's clay soils. This voluptuousness, however, is very nicely nuanced by the acidity that’s firm and juicy here and persistent until the end. (1/2021)

Racy and layered with black and red fruit, black chocolate, black olives, blueberries and a mineral accent. A tangy, elegant and juicy palate, rounded by dusty tannins that melt into the fruit. Long and refined. 52% cabernet sauvignon, 23% malbec, 19% cabernet franc and 6% petit verdot. (11/2022)

The updated classical 2018 Brioso belongs to the Signature Series and is serious, balanced and with a certain austerity that I liked. It was produced with 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Malbec, 17% Cabernet Franc and 14% Petit Verdot from Agrelo and matured in new barrels for 15 months. Even so, the wine has integrated oak, ripe flavors and aromas, and a full body with great balance and freshness. 48,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2019. It should develop nicely in bottle. (LG) (3/2021)

Gone is the American oak that used to feature on this wine in favour of 100% new French barrels instead. Vineyards in Agrelo close to the winery supply the fruit for this serious, ambitious assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon with 57% Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Chewy and intense, it has the power and structure to age further in bottle, with inky black fruit and toasty wood. 2023-30

A blend from Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, Brioso is 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Malbec, 17% Cabernet Franc and 14% Petit Verdot aged for 15 months in French barrels. Dark garnet in hue. The fruit comes through loud and clear on the nose, which offers plum, cherry, violets and black currants, all brought out by the pyrazine. Complex and multilayered, the palate is juicy with slightly spiky clay tannins and a lengthy menthol and herb finish. A well-made wine. (JH) (8/2020)

Susana Balbo is one of the most important winemakers in Argentina. She was the first woman to graduate with an enology degree in Argentina. She spent the last 40 years crafting wines that have shaped the identity of Argentine wines. Brioso means love of the challenge, can there be a better name for an icon wine from the woman who broke most of Argentina's wine industries glass ceilings? This is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Malbec, 19% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot sourced from vineyards in Lujan de Cuyo and Agrelo, in the heart of Mendoza. It was hand harvested, destemmed, and fermented with native yeasts. There was a 35-day maceration and malolactic fermentation was completed in barrel. It was aged for 15 months in new French oak. Dark, richly textured, and elegant. Susana Balbo’s Brioso wines deliver luxury. The flavors range from dark berries to chocolate, spice, and minerals. There are plenty of polished tannins and fresh acidity that give the wine an elegant poise and hint at great longevity.