Bodega Colomé
As you can imagine these varying altitudes and terroir have pros and
cons, but according to Delmotte, the good definitely outweighs the bad.
“In 15 harvest, I have one complicated because of weather, many rain.
In general, we have very low rain (125-150 mm/year) and very healthy
fruit. So we can pick at perfect ripeness, balancing round tannins and
concentration with freshness.” Ozone plays a large role as well. “At the
high altitude we have ozone in the atmosphere so we have more ultra-
violet radiations,” says Delmotte, “so the fruit produces thicker and
darker skin to protect itself. This gives the wine deeper color and great
tannic structure,” he adds.
And the altitude does even more. “With altitude we have very concentrated
fruit and fresh at the same time. You don’t have to over-extract to have
good color, concentration and structure, it is coming on its own. It’s
great because I let the wine take what it needs from the skin. The Altura
Maxima Malbec is the expression of very high altitude. The Autentico
Malbec is a wine that are all about vineyard with no intervention in the
winery, no oak, no filtration; purity of the terroir and the varietal.
But the Estate Malbec is still is my favorite, because it’s a blend of 4
different terroir with the challenge of vineyard managing, picking date,
winemaking and aging different for each terroir and having those great
tools to make a great classic Malbec.
The climate in Salta is fairly moderate which also plays a hand in the
quality of the grapes. “The temperature during the ripening season
(January to April), it never go higher than 28C (82F) and can go down
to 22C (71.5F) during the day,” says Delmotte. “Those temperatures
help us to keep fresh fruit, no cooked fruit, and no over-ripe characters.
It gives elegant and complex nose to the wine.” But it’s not just the
moderate temperatures during the day that’s important. The difference
in temperature between day and night during ripening season is a key
factor in the characteristic of Colomé wines. “The cold nights keep a
great level of acidity in the wine. So, naturally, we have great freshness in
our wine,” Delmotte adds. The result, “these extreme conditions, produce
high quality fruit, and give us a great paradox: very dark and concentrate
wine, but elegant, fresh and harmonious at the same time!”
I was curious about Delmotte’s impression of the James Turrell Museum
at Colomé. I haven’t been but I have researched it and I have been to the
museum at The Hess Collection in Mt. Veeder. Needless to say, Delmotte
was as blown away by it as I was at the one in Napa. “At first I have no
idea about James Turrell, but I have the chance to see the construction
from zero. The building was made by local people and it was amazing
to see them inventing new technique to reproduce Turrell’s plan! Once
finished, I had the luck to do the first tour with Mister Hess and Mister
Turrell themselves. It’s difficult to express the feelings that visiting this
museum envoke. It is unique and it can touch you deeply.
So it is not surprising that Delmotte is still in Argentina after 15 years.
He has completely embraced the place. “It’s quiet! It’s at 5 hours drive
from Salta city, 500 people are living here. No shopping, no cellphone
service…
And there is one spot where he finds complete solace. “The swimming
pool of the hotel!” And from the many photos Mark has shown me from
his two trips there, I totally get it.
20
THE MARK WINE NEWS