Crios de Susana Balbo (Argentina)

Hi.

First, a brief intro. I like wine. I am probably drinking it now. Which is likely why I am starting a blog about the random wines we sample in our house. Eeep.

Tonight's wine of note (yes, there was more than one on this Monday of distinction) is Crios de Susana Balba, 2007 from the SAQ. An Argentinian (Mendoza) blend of 1/2 Syrah and 1/2 Bonarda??? (new to me; I bet we see this becoming a little more popular in the near future). Short and sweet, this wine is a big tasty brute after the Coyote's Run Chardonnay (Ontario, 2007, which was weak in comparison to the striking 2005 sampled a year ago. That 2005 was like a soft box going down the throat, which is why we stashed one for tasting very soon).

The big tasty brute smells like an abandoned open pit mine, or the scene of a jungle plane crash, neither of which I have witnessed nor expect (as metaphors) to translate well to anyone within eyeshot of this screen. Nevertheless, the wine says so. It tastes a little rough, as though someone was smoking on the job when it was pressed and then lied about it, but finishes up about as complex as someone like me would like it to. But it is quite tasty and velvety yet brutish and therefore goes down as a "real good wine", especially for 14 bucks or so.

So remember CRIOS, possibly a Spanish word for something.