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This unoaked Malbec has a deep inky colour with violet hues. Aromas of black fruit, cherries, mulberry and figs combine with spicy notes and a touch of minerality. On the palate, this wine is robust and concentrated, with crisp acidity and ripe, finely-grained tannins that provide structure and balance.
- Feature(s): Vegetarian, Vegan
- Winemaker: Thibaut Delmotte
- Alcohol (ABV): 14.5 %
- Acidity: 5.7 g/l
- Residual sugar: 2.7 g/l
- pH: 3.8
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The altitude of the Upper Calchaquí Valley has a signficant impact on the quality and concentration of the fruit produced. The high altitude means grapes are more exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, which causes them to develop thicker and darker skins to protect themselves from sunburn. The fruit for this wine comes from 90 year old vines in the Colomé vineyard, which is 2,300 metres in altitude. The vines are trained in the vertical shoot positioning system and planted on complex soils with layers of gravel, clay, granite and alluvia material.
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Overall, the Calchaquí Valley enjoyed optimal conditions in 2018. The weather during the growing season was excellent, with no spring frost or disease development, allowing good fruit set. The rainfall was low in summer but with good cloud cover most days so the grapes could ripen with no sunburn or botrytis development.
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The grapes were sorted in the vineyard and again by the optical sorting table before they underwent four days of cold maceration. 90% of the wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks, with very gently twice daily punch downs. There was an extended maceration time of 35/40 days in total for building the body of the wine, and only the free run juice is used in the production of Auténtico. The remaining 10% was fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete eggs, with no punch downs and a shorter maceration time of 15 days. The wine was then aged for 10 months before bottling and a further 10 months in bottle before being released.
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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 and is thought to have been founded by the Spanish Governor of Salta, Nicolás Severo de Isasmendi y Echalar. In 1854 his daughter, Ascensión, brought the first pre-phylloxera Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon vines to Bodega Colomé. Three vineyards (with an area of four hectares each) were planted in the same year, the fruit from which is still used to make wines. Today, the winery has 140 hectares of biodynamically run vineyard planted at altitudes of between 1,750 and 3,111 metres above sea level.
Tasting Notes & Technical Details
This unoaked Malbec has a deep inky colour with violet hues. Aromas of black fruit, cherries, mulberry and figs combine with spicy notes and a touch of minerality. On the palate, this wine is robust and concentrated, with crisp acidity and ripe, finely-grained tannins that provide structure and balance.
- Feature(s): Vegetarian, Vegan
- Winemaker: Thibaut Delmotte
- Alcohol (ABV): 14.5 %
- Acidity: 5.7 g/l
- Residual sugar: 2.7 g/l
- pH: 3.8
Vineyards
The altitude of the Upper Calchaquí Valley has a signficant impact on the quality and concentration of the fruit produced. The high altitude means grapes are more exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, which causes them to develop thicker and darker skins to protect themselves from sunburn. The fruit for this wine comes from 90 year old vines in the Colomé vineyard, which is 2,300 metres in altitude. The vines are trained in the vertical shoot positioning system and planted on complex soils with layers of gravel, clay, granite and alluvia material.
Vintage
Overall, the Calchaquí Valley enjoyed optimal conditions in 2018. The weather during the growing season was excellent, with no spring frost or disease development, allowing good fruit set. The rainfall was low in summer but with good cloud cover most days so the grapes could ripen with no sunburn or botrytis development.
Vinification
The grapes were sorted in the vineyard and again by the optical sorting table before they underwent four days of cold maceration. 90% of the wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks, with very gently twice daily punch downs. There was an extended maceration time of 35/40 days in total for building the body of the wine, and only the free run juice is used in the production of Auténtico. The remaining 10% was fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete eggs, with no punch downs and a shorter maceration time of 15 days. The wine was then aged for 10 months before bottling and a further 10 months in bottle before being released.
Producer
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 and is thought to have been founded by the Spanish Governor of Salta, Nicolás Severo de Isasmendi y Echalar. In 1854 his daughter, Ascensión, brought the first pre-phylloxera Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon vines to Bodega Colomé. Three vineyards (with an area of four hectares each) were planted in the same year, the fruit from which is still used to make wines. Today, the winery has 140 hectares of biodynamically run vineyard planted at altitudes of between 1,750 and 3,111 metres above sea level.