Susana Balbo Signature, Malbec

Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina

 Known to many as the "Queen of Torrontes" or the "Evita of Wine", Susana Balbo has been making wine since she earned her enology degree in 1981, and she has probably produced a wider variety of wines than any other winemaker in Argentina. She has made wine in Australia, California, Chile, France, Italy, South Africa, and Spain, and she spends a month each year in a different wine region of the world studying with local winemakers and growers. Susana's Signature wines are the ultimate expression of her skill and artistry, using top barrel selections from her overall production.

The Signature Malbec is from 4,000 ft elevation vineyards in Paraje Altamira, a tiny subregion of the Uco Valley at the base of the Tupungato volcano. This wine scored 93 points from James Suckling, 94 from Antonin Galloni, and would last decades in the cellar.

If you’re not that patient, expect intense aromatics, with black currant, herbs, smoke, licorice, chocolate, and sweet tobacco leaf. While this will pair nicely with roasted/braised meats, it is decadent and very enjoyable on its own.

Château Leret-Monpezat, Malbec De Cahors

Cahors, France

 Malbec, known locally in Cahors as Côt or Auxerrois, was once a key component of Bordeaux blends, prized for its deep color, firm tannins, and ability to add weight to lighter varieties. Historically planted throughout the Gironde, Malbec thrived in the region’s warmer pockets but proved vulnerable to Bordeaux’s damp maritime climate, suffering heavily from frost, coulure, and disease. The devastating 1956 frost, which destroyed much of Bordeaux’s Malbec plantings, accelerated its decline there in favor of more resilient varieties like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In contrast, Malbec had long been deeply rooted in Cahors—an inland appellation in southwest France with a warmer, drier climate and limestone-rich soils that allow the grape to ripen fully while preserving its structure. Freed from the maritime challenges of Bordeaux, Cahors became Malbec’s French stronghold, producing the inky, age-worthy wines that earned it the historic nickname “the black wine of Cahors.”

Château Leret Monpezat has 36 hectares of vines in the heart of the Cahors appellation. The wine was rated 92 points from Wine Enthusiast: “Richly structured and full of serious dark Malbec flavors, this is a powerful and dense wine. Its tannins are still firm, developing alongside the black plum fruits. The combination, along with the acidity, will give a rich wine, complex and age worthy.

This is a wine that screams for venison, duck, or aged cheeses and would do great with poultry in a game sauce.