Taste of high-altitude wines

WHEN I first encountered Bodega Colomé wines around eight years ago, either in VinExpo Asia Hong Kong or ProWein Germany (not sure which one), I was immediately captivated by their wines during my tastings of their verticals of Malbec. After all, Malbec is Argentina’s proudest and most famous wine varietal. Back then, I only recalled three levels of Malbec from Colomé, and they were all color-coded: Red-label for Estate Malbec, Blue-label for the Authentico Malbec, and Black-label for their top-of-the-line Reserva Malbec.

Colomé back then also had the distinction of being the highest vineyard on earth according to the Guiness Book of World Records, which stood then at 3,111 meters or 10,200 feet above sea level in Salta region. Imagine this — an elevation of over 3,000 meters is close to that of our own Mount Apo, the highest mountain and volcano in the country, which takes hikers two to four days to reach the summit. This record was shattered recently by a vineyard in Cai Na Xiang, Qushui, Lhasa County, Tibet, China that is situated at an altitude of 3,563 meters.

However, Bodega Colomé as a winery and vineyard owner, still owns some of the world’s highest altitude vineyards, ranging from a low of 2,300 meters to a high of 3,111 meters. In comparison, France’s Bordeaux vineyards are just around 40 meters above sea level, while the renowned Napa Valley in California has its highest altitude vineyards in their subregion of Atlas Peak, and those vineyards can only go as high as 800 meters.

Obviously, this means that lower altitude vineyards can still make amazing wines, as elevation is just one of several factors affecting vineyard conditions. So then, what are the qualities of high-altitude wines?

BENEFITS OF HIGH-ALTITUDE VINEYARDS
First, oenologists agree that altitude is relative and has more of an impact on vineyards in areas with tropical and subtropical climates of very hot and humid summers, rather than those in areas with a temperate climate of moderate summers like the ones in Europe and North America. High altitude cools down the vines in areas with temperatures that may otherwise scorch the berries, especially in the light of global warming.

A higher altitude also means a wider difference between day and night temperatures that ultimately preserves acidity and contributes to freshness.

Also, a high altitude gives the vines more direct contact with the sun, making grapes reach their ultimate physiological ripeness with positive effects on thicker skins, more color, and likely, more flavor depth.

MORE ABOUT BODEGA COLOMÉ
Bodega Colomé was founded in 1831, almost 200 years ago, and is in fact the oldest continuously operating winery in all of Argentina. Since 2001, the winery has been under the control and management of businessman Donald Hess, and at present, it is under the auspices of the second generation, Larissa and Christoph Ehrbar.

Bodega Colomé is a pioneer in making the best high-altitude wines in the world.

Bodega Colomé is based in Calchaquí Valley in the Salta region, home to Argentina’s highest vineyards. This year, Bodega Colomé ranked No. 24 out of the Top 100 in the World’s Best Vineyards list.

While you can already purchase Colomé Estate Malbec or Colomé Authentico Malbec at your favorite online wine shops, there are three other specific high-altitude Malbec wines that are missing from the Bodega Colomé portfolio in the Philippines.

These missing Malbecs are actually Colomé’s finest wines that came to being relatively recently. I was very fortunate to preview and taste these top-tired premium Malbec wines — all from Colomé’s highest vineyards, and all boasting of great critical reviews. These wines are not yet available in the Philippines but will most likely be released here come early 2024. 

Below I share my tasting notes from when I tasted them for the first time.

MY CUSTOMARY TASTING NOTES:
Colomé Altura Maxima Malbec 2018, Salta Argentina — “altura maxima” means highest altitude and this wine comes from vineyards with elevation at 3,111 meters (10,200+ feet) above sea level, still the second highest vineyard after the one in Tibet. Only 7,000 bottles are produced for this specific wine annually.

“Wine has brilliant brooding deep violet color, nose of freshly picked berries, figs, buttered-toast bread, full-bodied, mocha-taste, with nice BBQ charred flavors, long with butter-scotch lingering finish.”

Estimated retail price: P8,000

Colomé El Arenal Single Vineyard Malbec 2021, Salta Argentina — from the estate’s El Arenal vineyard with elevation at 2,600 meters (8,500+ feet) above sea level.

“Wine has bright dark ruby color, aromatic, coffee-latte nose, intense flavors, more on tangier fruits like raspberry, rich and velvety texture, tannin are coffee-bean like, with lingering dark chocolate-bitter finish.”

Estimated retail price: P3,300

Colomé 1831 Oldest Vines Malbec 2019, Salta Argentina — named after the founding year of the winery. This wine comes from the oldest vineyards of the winery, with many over 100 years old, and grown at an elevation of 2,300 meters (7,500+ feet) above sea level.

“The wine has dark ruby color, more delicate flavors, cinnamon pie, juicy, minty, silky, long raisiney finish.”

Estimated retail price: P4,200

After tasting these Colomé wines, I am now a true believer of high-altitude wines, but don’t take my word for it, try them as soon as they are available on the market. And if you want to try the existing Colomé range from the Estate — the Authentico to their white wine Torrentes — look for them at your favorite online stores, or e-mail Golden Wines, Inc. at [email protected].

The author is the first Filipino member of both the Bordeaux-based Federation Internationale des Journalists et Ecrivains du Vin et des Spiritueux (FIJEV) and the UK-based Circle of Wine Writers (CWW). For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, wine consultancy, and other wine related concerns,e-mail the author at [email protected], or check his wine training website at