Susana Balbo Wines (Dominio del Plata)
Susana Balbo Wines, formerly Dominio del Plata, is the winery of Argentina’s first female winemaker, and one of the leaders of the industry today, Susana Balbo and her family. Known as the Queen of Torrontés, Balbo certainly pioneered the modern and fresh style of Argentina’s native white variety we know and love today, but she and her talented team of winemakers and viticulturists also make some of Argentina’s most exciting red wines – notably from Luján de Cuyo, where the winery and its restaurants are based, and the Uco Valley.
About Susana Balbo Wines
Susana Balbo Wines is the family winery of esteemed winemaker Susana Balbo and was established in 1999 under its former name, Dominio del Plata. Located in Luján de Cuyo, in the renowned red wine region of Agrelo, the winery is now run by Susana, her two children José and Ana, and her General Manager and one of Argentina’s top viticulturalists, Edy del Popolo.
About the vineyards
Although the lion’s share of their production comes from the Uco Valley, Susana Balbo Wines works with a select handful of growers in different regions in Argentina. In terms of vineyard estates, the winery owns two vineyards (their Dominio estates in Agrelo and Gualtallary) and has a long-term lease on three other estates (La Delfina in Paraje Altamira, Los Carolinos in Los Chacayes, and Brío in Los Arboles).
AGRELO, DOMINIO ESTATE
This clay/clay-loam soil sits on Mendoza river’s riverbed in Agrelo where the upper layers of soil retain water very well, while the deeper layers have excellent drainage qualities. Altitude is on average 1,000 m.a.s.l. and the region is renowned for producing red wines with sweet, round and concentrated tannins.
GUALTALLARY, DOMINIO ESTATE
One of the coolest sub-regions in the Uco Valley, Susana Balbo Wines’ Gualtallary estate has extremely poor soil with little organic material and has very good drainage. In cold years, it is similar to Burgundy although its climatic pattern can normally be compared to that of Bordeaux or Napa based on their heat summation. The average altitude is around 1,285 m.a.s.l. Their Gualtallary estate is renowned for red wines with mineral notes, firm fine-grained tannins and great length, while the white wines from the region are known for their earthy and mineral notes due to the alluvial and calcareous soils, and refreshing acidity.
LOS ÁRBOLES, BRÍO ESTATE
This high altitude terroir is located in Tunuyán where soils are mainly alluvial loam with plenty of rounded stones and the average altitude is 1,150 m.a.s.l. The red wines from the region are typically bright with persistent flavours and juicy acidity.
LOS CHACAYES, LOS CAROLINOS ESTATE
This is one among the warmest appellations in Valle de Uco, with heat higher than other GIs like Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira, and the soil is mainly colluvium (rounded stones) and alluvium (square-jagged gravels) soil. The altitude is around 1,110 m.a.s.l., and the red wines typically have a pure fruit profile, bright acidity, firm tannins and great length.
PARAJE ALTAMIRA
The vineyard profile here is very poor in organic content and has great drainage, which allows for high-density plantations, and good concentration in both red and white wines. Red wines are renowned for their pure fruit expression, refreshing acidity and firm tannins with a long finish, while the white wines are balanced and fresh with tension and longevity. The average altitude is 1,150 m.a.s.l.
About the Winemaker, Susana Balbo
Susana Balbo became Argentina’s first qualified female winemaker, on graduating with a distinction at university in 1981. Having carved out the first few years of her career in Cafayate, in northern Argentina, at Michel Torino she earned the reputation of becoming the Queen of Torrontés for making great advances in transforming the white wines being made there and showing a potential for Argentina’s native white wine variety. Ever since then, Susana has been a champion of Argentina’s white wine potential and today her family production bucks Argentina’s trend of mainly red wine production, with a strong white wine portfolio too.
After returning to Mendoza, she had a distinguished career at Catena Zapata and Martins before starting her own winery in 1999. She has won many awards and recognitions for her wines and career, including being selected as The Drinks Business’ Woman of the Year in 2015 and given the BRAVO Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of the Americas in 2019. Susana Balbo has also been influential in the political arena and was a congress woman under Mauricio Macri’s government, and was three times elected as the President of Wines of Argentina.
Today she makes wines with her son José and with her viticulturist Edy del Popolo.
About Susana Balbo Wines
Although Susana Balbo became best known for pioneering a modern and fresh style of Torrontés following several years working in Cafayate, Salta, in the 1980s, today the range includes a diverse range of wines and styles, and Balbo and her team are just as well known for their red wines as white wines.
The winery’s philosophy is to focus on a combination of sustainability, with a strong commitment to the environment and local community; terroir knowledge, by seeking and understanding some of Argentina’s best wine terroirs and reflecting them in their wines; and winemaking skill, drawing on the team’s extensive experience and making the best wines they can for each region and variety.
CRIOS
Crios is the first line of the portfolio and offers great value, everyday wines with clear varietal expression. Crios means “children” in Spanish and this is the brand that was dedicated to Susana’s children, represented by three overlapped hands, which symbolize the hands of Susana, José and Ana.
The other symbolic message is that hands are powerful tools that allow us to create – whether that is creating a wine, a meal, or a handcraft – and to help, by holding, giving warmth or fixing something at home.
Varieties: Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Torrontés, Red Blend, Rosé of Malbec, Dulce Natural, Limited Edition
BENMARCO
BenMarco is a special range dedicated to the viticulturist, conceived from the vineyard to express the purity of every terroir with non-intervention winemaking. Today BenMarco is produced under viticulturist Edgardo Del Popolo’s leadership, who is one of the most respected and consulted viticulturists in Argentina, and has diversified to different terroirs in Mendoza and San Juan.
Edy’s focus is on picking at the optimal moment, using natural yeast for fermentation when possible, avoiding acidity adjustments, and racking into second- and third-use barrels. Edy’s math is “less oak = more wine”, so he does not use new barrels or staves.
Varieties: Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc; Expresivo.
Sin Límites range: Chardonnay from Gualtallary, Malbec from Gualtallary, Malbec from Valle de Pedernal, Organic Malbec from Los Chacayes.
SUSANA BALBO SIGNATURE
Susana Balbo Signature wine range is one of the top ranges of the winery and captures Susana’s expression and evolution as a winemaker. The wide range of styles in the range reflects the breadth of winemaking expertise Susana brings and the wines show a sensitivity in respecting the character of the variety and place, while also making bold, complex wines that are easy to enjoy.
This is quite an innovative line and is fine-tuned by different innovations in the cellar, including most recently testing wild vs. cultured yeasts and experimenting with different barrel volumes (160L through 6,500L) and fermenting container materials (barrels, concrete eggs, roll fermenters, pressurized barrels, amphoras, among others).
Within the range, some highlights include the excellent barrel-fermented Torrontés which helped redefine modern Torrontés (Susana is called the Queen of Torrontés for a reason…) and the mouthwatering white blend of Semillón, Torrontés and Sauvignon Blanc from Altamira. Brioso is also one of the most exciting red blends coming from Luján de Cuyo today.
Varieties: Barrel Fermented Torrontés, White Blend, Rosé, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Late Harvest Torrontés, Late Harvest Malbec, Brioso.
NOSOTROS BY SUSANA BALBO
Nosotros is the apex of the vintage and the top-of-line wine within the portfolio, always made to reflect the best single vineyard of that year with a 100% Malbec. It is a “roaming wine”, hence the name Nomadé, and can be from any of their vineyards, which makes it an interesting wine for vertical tastings.
It is a limited production for the winery, with 10,000 bottles produced each year, and always receives impressive critical praise for both its elegance and power.
Visiting Susana Balbo Wines Winery (Dominio del Plata) in Luján de Cuyo
The modern Susana Balbo winery is located in the heart of Agrelo, in the middle of Luján de Cuyo’s wine route, and surrounded by vineyards and mountain vistas in the distance. It’s a great winery to visit for its tours through the state-of-the-art winery and tastings of their different ranges, but most people stay for lunch at one of the two restaurants. The family have also recently launched their first wine hotel, in the heart of nearby Chacras, which offer the ideal luxury digs to explore the wine region.
Susana Balbo winery visits
If you just want to visit for a tour and tasting at the winery, visits are available Monday through Sunday at 9.30am, 11am and 4pm. Tastings range from the ‘Susana Balbo Wines Experience’ with four wines, one from from each of the lines, or the ‘Premium Experience’ which includes four wines from the top lines, including an option to taste the iconic Nosotros.
There are also several special experiences at the winery, which include:
Discovering food and wine pairing
Learn the art of food and wine pairing with a special tasting of four different wines with four different flavours.
Blend Art Experience
This wine experience focuses on making your own wine blend and taking on the challenge of the winemaker in blending different grape varieties.
Wine cocktail tastings
A special wine tour which ends with a wine cocktail tasting, making fresh wine cocktails made from Crios wines.
Osadia de Crear Restaurant
The main restaurant, Osadia de Crear, is open for lunch every day (12.30 to 3) and offers a regional menu with seasonal and local ingredients. There are several menu options to choose from including their KM 0 set menu of three wine-paired courses and the ‘Argentina de la Cordillera al Mar’ tasting experience with five wine-paired dishes which explore Argentina’s cuisine from the coast to the mountains.
Children’s menus are also available, and children are welcome at the winery.
Espacio Crios Restaurant
The second winery restaurant is a casual dining space outside where you can enjoy a picnic of salads, sandwiches, empanadas, charcuterie and cheese, either on the lawns with a picnic blanket or on the cosy outdoor armchairs and seating area.
They also serve a selection of wine-based ice creams to enjoy sunny afternoons!
Susana Balbo Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites
In April 2022, Susana Balbo and her daughter Ana Lovaglio Balbo opened a new luxury hotel just 15 minutes away from the winery in the village of Chacras. With the concept of wellness at its core, the seven luxury suites each have an in-room spa and guests all receive a welcome massage on arrival.
The hotel also offers some exciting new tourism options, including Mendoza’s first Air Safari which can take you as far as Patagonia, Cafayate or the wetlands in the east. There are also lots of tempting wine experiences on offer, and a top notch restaurant for dining in.
Read more about Susana Balbo Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites here.
Video of winemaker Susana Balbo discussing 20 years of her family winery
Tasting notes
Prizes and Awards
BRAVO Lifetime Achievement Award 2019: Council of the Americas
Winemaking Legend: Tim Atkin
Signature Torrontés: Best Torrontés, Descorchados
Signature Rosé: Best Rosé, Descorchados
Signature Torrontés: 95 points Descorchados, 92 points Stephen Tanzer
Brioso: 93 points Stephen Tanzer, 92 points James Suckling
Signature Rosé: 94 points Descorchados; 93 points Tim Atkin
Crios Malbec: 90 points Wine Advocate
