Perched a dizzying 2,300m above sea level in Argentina’s Salta region, Colomé owns the world’s highest-altitude vineyards and winery. Bought by Hess Estates in 2001, Colomé’s plantings cover 75 hectares of the Colchaquí Valley. Incredibly, vines have been planted here since 1831, when the Dávalos family brought pre-phylloxera French varieties to the estate. Colomé today has plantings of Malbec and Torrontés, and focuses on premium wines made biodynamically.
Pictured here are 13-year-old Malbec vines, planted between the blue-roofed winery (visible in the background) and the cardon cacti and lavender bushes of the estate’s gardens. Sandy loam soil and large rocks provide good drainage and intensify the sun’s heat, while the extreme altitude leads to strong sun exposure and a sharp drop in nocturnal temperatures.
