Crios winemaker Susan Balbo has made a name for herself as the top female winemaker of Argentina. In a country where men rule the wine industry, I was eager to sample her wines.
Balbo spent 25 years as a consultant winemaker for many wineries, and opened Dominio del Plata in 1999 as her own venture. Sadly, when I visited Mendoza, the winery and tasting room were undergoing remodeling and the tasting room was not open. Although I couldn’t sample the wines at the winery, finding a bottle of one of Balbo’s wines was not a problem: last year Dominio del Plata produced 3,000,000 bottles… one was bound to be sitting on the shelf of an Argentine wine store! 
The Crios Torrontes has aromas of sweet, white flowers, pears and dried apricots. There is also a lot of apricot on the palate, followed by the softest finish that I’ve had in a Torrontes: very minimal acidity, and a touch of that green, Torrontes finish.
I found that the Crios doesn’t pack the “punch” that other Argentine Torrontes have, which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on one’s tastes. Its mildness will allow the wine to pair well with many dishes; on the other hand, if you are looking for a stronger, more acidic and more citrus-heavy wine, I would continue searching. That being said, this is the perfect “starter wine” if you have not tried a Torrontes: a lovely intro into the grape and its citrus flavors and light body.