Bodega Colome Altura Maxima Salta Malbec 2018

Bodega Colomé was established in 1831 and is the oldest working
winery in Argentina, with one of the world’s highest vineyards. The
winery is in the far north of Argentina in the Upper Calchaquí
Valley is thought to have been founded by the Spanish
Governor of Salta, Nicolás Severo de Isasmendi y Echalar. Today,
the winery has 140 hectares of sustainably run vineyard, planted at
altitudes between 1,700 and 3,111 metres above sea level. The
‘Altura Máxima’ vineyard is one of the world’s highest and
represents viticulture at its most extreme. Grapes grown at such
high altitudes develop thick skins to protect themselves from
the sun’s intense ultraviolet rays. As a result, the wines have more
colour, aroma, flavours and antioxidants from the increased
phenolics.

The north-west facing slopes mean the vineyard receives lots of
sunlight, which aids ripening. Warm days and cool nights (a diurnal
range of around 25°C) ensures that the fruit develops wonderful
aromatic characters and retains good levels of acidity. The true
expression of the Malbec grape comes from the vineyard’s
extreme altitude, the soil composition (alluvial, sandy soils with a
a high percentage of granite) and the semi-arid desert climate. The
vineyard also receives much more sunlight and much less UV
protection than vineyards at lower altitudes, which produces
thicker skinned grapes giving a more robust mouthfeel supported
by fresh acidity.