Stop by the store every Saturday any time between 2 and 5 p.m. for an educational and free wine tasting. This Saturday, we’ll concentrate on the wines of Argentinean star winemaker Susana Balbo. In a country (Argentina) dominated by male winemakers, Susana stands out not only for her gender, but for her incredible skill and experience. She’s been making award winning wines since she graduated from enology school in 1981, and she was the first Argentina winemaker to be hired as a consultant to make wine outside of Argentina. Let’s just say she’s a rock star, and her wines are all great!
We’ll start with her 2013 Crios Torrontes, one of the best expressions of this grape produced in the country. The Torrontes grape has become Argentina’s signature grape variety, and Susana does a wonderful job with this one. Highly aromatic and floral, much like a Muscat or Gewurztraminer, on the nose, it hits the palate with the intensity and structure of a Sauvignon Blanc. Up next, the 2012 Crios Limited Edition Red Blend is a delicious wine and a great value as well. Composed of equal parts Bonarda and Malbec with smaller amounts of Tannat and Syrah, the wine sees eight months aging in French and American oak. With notes of dark cherry, plum, black pepper and toasty oak, this full bodied red is hard not to like. To round things out, we’ll finish with the 2012 BenMarco Cabernet Sauvignon. Susana Balbo created this line of wines in 1999 to showcase the ripe fruit personality of her sustainably farmed Mendoza vineyards. Full bodied, lush and classy, this one explodes on the palate with classic varietal notes of black cherry, currant, tobacco and smoky oak. Cabernet lovers will rejoice over this one! The only thing left for you to do is stop by, taste, learn and save this Saturday at Table Wine.
Tasting wines are 10% off by the bottle, 15% off when you mix any six of them and 20% off if you mix twelve!
The Wines
Prices range from $13 to $20 per bottle
1. 2013 Crios Torrontes
(Cafayate-Salta, Argentina)
2. 2012 Crios Limited Edition Red Blend
(Mendoza, Argentina)
3. 2012 BenMarco Cabernet Sauvignon
(Mendoza, Argentina)