Susana Balbo BenMarco Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Drink it now or cellar for up to 8 years. It is recommended to decant it for an hour. Susana Balbo originally planned to study nuclear physics, but luckily for Argentinian wine lovers she shifted her focus to wine and became the country’s first female winemaker when she graduated from Don Bosco University in Mendoza in 1981. In 1999 she established her namesake winery in the foothills of the Andes after decades working as a consultant both at home and abroad. The estate is now run by her children, José and Ana, who continue her legacy with superb, approachable wines and a very warm welcome at the cellar door. Their BenMarco Cabernet showcases the natural beauty of Mendoza’s high altitude Valle de Uco, and particularly the Los Arboles vineyard which sits at 1,150 metres (3,780 ft) above sea level. This combined with rocky loam soils helps create intense, juicy wines with perfect elegance and balance. The grapes for this cuvee are always harvested by hand to ensure optimal ripeness and quality, and then gently crushed to release their juice. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks the young wine ages in used French oak for 11 months before bottling. Bursting with classic Cabernet blackcurrant, dark plum, and black cherries, this is an easy-going, vibrant red to enjoy with hearty red meat dishes.