Bodega Colome El Arenal Malbec 2023

Bodega Colome El Arenal Malbec

Region: Calchaquí Valley, Salta, Argentina

Vintage: 2023

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Malbec

ABV: 14.5% 

The wine is a very deep, almost black colour with purple highlights. The nose is elegant and complex, offering blackberry, dark cherry, white pepper, violet and subtle flinty tones, all framed by well-integrated oak. The palate is vibrant and concentrated, driven by intense fruit, with a firm structure and fine tannins.

The `El Arenal` vineyard consists of 45 hectares, located in Payogasta, in Upper Calchaquí valley. Situated at 2,600 metres above sea level, the extreme elevation results in grapes being exposed to intense ultraviolet rays. As a result, the skins of the grapes have adapted to become thicker and darker, protecting themselves from sunburn, lending colour and depth to the wine. The deep, sandy soils don't retain water well, putting the vines under strain and resulting in small, concentrated berries. There is also a huge variation between the day and night temperature (up to 23ºC), with the cooler overnight temperatures producing fresh wines with good acidity.

The grapes underwent optical selection before a cold maceration and spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts at 24°C. Total maceration lasted 25 days to achieve depth and structure. The wine was then aged for 12 months in a mix of 225- and 500-litre French oak barrels of first and fourth use, followed by a further six months of bottle ageing integrate tannins.

Bodega Colomé was established in 1831 and is the oldest working winery in Argentina with one of the world’s highest vineyards. Perhaps because of this great tradition, which is allied to the dynamism it displays today, Bodega Colomé was chosen again by Tim Atkin MW as one of his ‘First Growths’ in the classification of Argentinian wineries he made for his 2020 Argentina Report.

https://www.bodegacolome.com