There are few wine estates in the world quite like Colomé winery. With vineyards that run up to a sky-scraping 3,111 m.a.s.l., Colomé is seriously high altitude. And with that comes an incredible landscape of colourful mountains and clear skies, as well as distinctive wines with precision, concentration and brilliant acidity. Some highlights include the Altura Máxima range from the highest vineyards, with star-bright Sauvignon Blanc, crisp Pinot Noir and complex Malbec, as well as the perfumed Torrontés and Lote Especial Tannat.

This legacy estate was first established in 1831, and is the oldest continuously-running winery of Argentina with a beautiful plot of old vines planted in that same year. But the heart of Colomé today started beating in 2001 when the Hess family bought it and revitalised an abandoned village and community in this remote corner of the Calchaqui Valleys.

Donald and Ursula Hess poured a lot of energy, love and money into bringing running water, reconstructing damaged homes and giving new work opportunities and livelihoods to the families of Colomé village, while also establishing one of the leading wineries of Northern Argentina. A boutique wine lodge, farm to table restaurant and the incredible James Turrell art gallery are the cherry on the cake in Colomé. It is quite the journey to get there, but the experience makes it well worth it.

 

About Colomé winery

One of the highest wineries in the world, Colome sits in the Upper Calchaquí valleys further into the foothills than Cafayate and ranging from 2,300 to 3,111 meters above sea level. Founded some 180 years ago, Colome is one of the oldest-running wineries in Argentina.

Colome may be historical, but the Hess family have since built a state-of-the-art modern winery with production headed up by French winemaker Thibaut Delmotte. They also bought Amalaya, in the (slightly more accessible!) village of Cafayate. Today Colomé and Amalaya are managed by the second-generation, Larissa and Christophe.

As expected from the region, their Torrontes is top-notch but you should also seek out some their reds to get a flavour of Malbec at altitude. Colome’s vineyards are managed with biodynamic and organic principals, although due to the tricky ants (whose nests are treated with pesticides) they are not certified.

About the Colomé vineyards

LA BRAVA VINEYARD

La Brava is located in Cafayate, at an altitude of 1,750 m.a.s.l. It has 11 hectares planted with Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, Bonarda and Torrontés.

COLOMÉ VINEYARD

Colomé is located at an altitude of 2,300 m.a.s.l. and has 75 hectares planted with Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Bonarda and Torrontés. The soils are alluvial, sandy loam with gravel and some rocks. Within the vineyard is a beautiful plot of five hectares of very old vines… planted in 1831!

EL ARENAL VINEYARD

El Arenal vineyard is located in Payogasta, at an altitude of 2,600 m.a.s.l. It has alluvial, deep sandy soils and 35 hectares planted with Malbec.

ALTURA MAXIMA VINEYARD

Altura Maxima is located in Payogasta and is the highest-altitude vineyard, at 3,111 m.a.s.l. It has alluvial, sandy soils with a high percentage of gravel and 30 hectares planted with Malbec, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. It is a feat of modern viticulture and one of the most extreme in the world!

 

Video interview on the terroir of Colome, Salta & Calchaquí valleys with winemaker Thibaut Delmotte

 

Colomé wines

ALTURA MAXIMA

The Altura Maxima wines include a Malbec, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc and are made from grapes grown in Colome’s Altura Maxima vineyard, at an altitude of 3,111 m.a.s.l.

COLOMÉ

These wines reflect the unique terroir and high altitude of the Calchaquí Valleys. Within the Colomé range, there is the Colomé 1831 Cabernet Sauvignon, Colomé 1831 Malbec, Colomé El Arenal Malbec, Colomé Auténtico Malbec, Colomé Estate Malbec and Colomé Torrontés.

LOTE ESPECIAL

These wines are made from grapes grown in small lots planted with specially selected vines. The Lote Especial range include a Malbec, Bonarda, Tannat and Syrah.

 

About the winemaker, Thibaut Delmotte

Thibaut is Colome’s winemaker since 2005. He is originally from France and graduated from Beaune, Burgundy.

Prior to joining Colome, he worked five years in France, Burgundy, and Bordeaux. In Burgundy, he specialized in Pinot Noir and learned how to express the terroir and in Bordeaux, he learned about blends and how to blend a variety of wine maintaining the balance and adding more complexity to it.

Colome’s winemaking philosophy is to respect the land, the altitudes, the vine, the grape, and the people who will be enjoying their wines, and follow traditional practices, such as using only natural and indigenous yeast. Their objective is that their wines express the distinct character of the four altitudes every year.

 

 

Visiting Colomé

Colomé is a remote winery to visit, requiring three to five hours in the car by dirt track from Salta or Cafayate, but is definitely one of the most memorable wineries to visit in Argentina. With an outstanding museum, beautiful hotel and restaurant, and stunning vineyard vistas, it is a true highlight in Northern Argentina.

The winery is open for tourism and visits from Wednesday to Sunday. Among the activities offered by Colomé, you can choose to do:

The Colomé experience, which includes a winery visit, tasting, lunch and a visit to the James Turrell Museum.

A wine tasting, which includes Colomé’s high altitude wines collection recommend by the winemaker Thibaut Delmotte. The suggested flights are:

• • • Wine Flight 1 | Two Classics: Colome Torrontes & Colome Estate.
    • Wine Flight 2 | Three Classics: Torrontés, Estate, Auténtico
    • Wine Flight 3 | Special Varietals: Misterioso, Syrah, Tannat, Bonarda
    • Wine Flight 4 | Altura Maxima Special Lots: Pinot Noir y Sauvignon Blanc

Horseriding through the vineyards and mountains.

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Booking is advised to visit the winery, tasting room and art collection. Email Colome at [email protected]

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ESTANCIA COLOMÉ HOTEL

Estancia Colomé is a boutique hotel with 9 rooms overseeing the lavender gardens and vineyards. All of the rooms are decorated in an elegant hacienda-style design and have a private terrace overlooking the Andean scenery.

The whole experience is complemented by a farm to table cuisine sourced from their organic farm and orchard, horseback riding and swimming pool between the vines. The kitchen is head chef Patricia Courtois who has created a menu specifically for Colomé. Her cuisine is influenced by seasons and one of her principal tenets is Kilometer 0, a Slow Food philosophy of eating what’s nearby (food that has travelled zero kilometers).

JAMES TURRELL MUSEUM

The James Turrell museum here is one of a kind, and really shouldn’t be missed. It is the only museum in the world dedicated to renowned light artist James Turrell, and an otherworldly experience in an otherworldly location!

Located at 2,300 meters above sea level, the museum houses nine of Turrell’s most important light works which you explore walking through with a guide. The light experience is enhanced by focusing on the interplay of space, light and time.

The museum was designed by Turrell himself, with each room custom-made, and houses the collection of the late Donald Hess, who collected Turrell’s work over many decades.