Bodega Colomé

Bodega Colomé was established in 1831 by Nicolás Severo de Isasmendi y Echalar, the last Spanish-appointed governor of Salta, as part of a colonial encomienda granted by King Charles IV of Spain in 1804 covering the upper Calchaquí Valleys around Molinos. The estate's first winemaking infrastructure (the original adobe-walled bodega, still in use) dates to that founding period, and the original vineyard plantings used vine material brought to the area in the 16th and 17th centuries by Spanish missionaries via Peru and the Canary Islands. In 1854, Doña Ascensión Isasmendi de Dávalos brought pre-phylloxera French Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon vines from France to the Colomé estate, traveling by ship to Buenos Aires and then by mule train across the country to the remote upper Calchaquí Valleys; the extreme remoteness of the upper valleys ensured these vines were never affected by phylloxera, and they remain in production today as some of the oldest continuously productive vines of these varieties anywhere in the world. The Isasmendi-Dávalos family operated the estate for more than 170 years, and the Dávalos family viticultural lineage continues at neighboring Bodega Tacuil under sixth-generation Raúl Dávalos Rubio.

• Founded 1831 by Nicolás Severo de Isasmendi y Echalar (the last Spanish governor of Salta); Argentina's oldest continuously operating winery
• Original encomienda granted by King Charles IV of Spain in 1804 covering the upper Calchaquí Valleys around Molinos
• Pre-phylloxera French Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon vines brought from France in 1854 by Doña Ascensión Isasmendi de Dávalos remain in production today
• The Isasmendi-Dávalos family operated the estate for more than 170 years; the Dávalos lineage continues at neighboring Bodega Tacuil

Swiss entrepreneur Donald Hess (1936 to 2022), founder of the Hess Collection in Napa Valley and the broader Hess Family Estates portfolio, acquired Bodega Colomé in 2001 after extensive searches across multiple South American countries for an estate that could combine extreme altitude with deep heritage. Hess invested substantially in vineyard expansion, modernized the cellar infrastructure while preserving the colonial-era buildings, and developed the Colomé village around the estate as a cultural-tourism anchor for the upper Calchaquí Valleys (including the construction of a school, medical clinic, and hospitality infrastructure). In 2004, Hess planted the Altura Máxima vineyard at 3,111 meters above sea level in Payogasta, an undertaking widely considered impossible at the time; the first commercial Altura Máxima Malbec was released in 2012 and the vineyard remains among the highest commercial vineyards on Earth. Hess also opened the Museo James Turrell on the estate in 2009, hosting nine permanent installations by the American artist; it is the largest dedicated Turrell installation in the world. The Hess Family Estates portfolio also includes Amalaya in Cafayate (a more accessible Calchaquí sister project sourcing fruit including from Colomé parcels) and Hess Collection in Napa Valley.

• Acquired 2001 by Swiss entrepreneur Donald Hess (founder of Hess Collection Napa Valley and Hess Family Estates)
• Altura Máxima vineyard planted 2004 at 3,111 meters above sea level in Payogasta; first commercial release was the 2012 vintage
• Museo James Turrell opened on the estate in 2009 with nine permanent installations; the largest dedicated Turrell installation in the world
• Sister project Amalaya (more accessible Calchaquí range) sources fruit from Colomé parcels including high-altitude blocks

Bodega Colomé operates four estate vineyards across the Calchaquí Valleys, with elevations spanning 1,750 to 3,111 meters above sea level. La Brava (the lowest at 1,750 meters) sits in the Cafayate basin and contributes the more accessible fruit; the Colomé Estate vineyard at 2,300 meters in Molinos hosts the historic pre-phylloxera Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon plantings from 1854 alongside more recent blocks; El Arenal at 2,700 meters provides cooler, structurally precise fruit; and Altura Máxima at 3,111 meters in Payogasta contains approximately 30 hectares of Malbec, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Tempranillo, and Merlot, with the highest 1.5 hectares planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay only. Soils are predominantly calcareous granitic alluvial sands and gravels with patches of caliche, free-draining and low in fertility; the high-altitude continental desert climate delivers annual rainfall under 200 millimeters, diurnal temperature variation exceeding 20 degrees Celsius, and ultraviolet radiation 30 to 40 percent more intense than at sea level. All viticulture relies on irrigation from Andean snowmelt channeled through historic acequia systems, and the entire estate is farmed biodynamically with certified-organic discipline.

• Four estate vineyards: La Brava (1,750 m, Cafayate), Colomé Estate (2,300 m, Molinos), El Arenal (2,700 m), Altura Máxima (3,111 m, Payogasta)
• Approximately 140 hectares of estate vineyard across all four sites; Colomé Estate hosts the pre-phylloxera 1854 Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon plantings
• Soils: calcareous granitic alluvial sands and gravels with patches of caliche; free-draining and low in fertility
• All estate vineyards farmed biodynamically with certified-organic discipline; irrigation from Andean snowmelt via historic acequia systems

Bodega Colomé's cellar is led by French winemaker Thibaut Delmotte, who has served as chief winemaker since 2005 and oversaw the development of the Altura Máxima project through to its first commercial release in 2012. The winemaking philosophy is meticulous and low-intervention: hand-picked fruit, gravity-flow handling, native-yeast fermentation in concrete and stainless steel tanks for most wines and in 100 percent new French oak barrels for the Altura Máxima cuvées, and élevage in used French oak barriques for the Estate, Lote Especial, and Reserva cuvées. The estate produces a tiered range: Auténtico (an unfiltered, no-added-sulfite, biodynamic Calchaquí blend), Estate Malbec (the entry-tier cuvée drawing fruit from all four sites), Lote Especial Malbec (a mid-tier single-block bottling), Reserva (a barrel-selection of the best Malbec lots, aged 24 months in French oak), and the Altura Máxima range (four single-vineyard, single-variety wines from the 3,111-meter vineyard: Malbec, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, all in extreme small production). Altura Máxima Malbec specifically runs approximately 27 to 34 barrels per vintage, ages 24 months in used French oak, and typically shows 14.9 to 15.5 percent alcohol. Tim Atkin MW has rated Bodega Colomé an Argentine First Growth every year since 2020.

• Chief winemaker Thibaut Delmotte (French) since 2005; meticulous low-intervention philosophy combining hand-picking, gravity flow, and native-yeast fermentation
• Tiered range: Auténtico (unfiltered, no-sulfite biodynamic blend), Estate Malbec, Lote Especial Malbec, Reserva, and the Altura Máxima single-vineyard cuvées
• Altura Máxima Malbec runs approximately 27 to 34 barrels per vintage, 24 months in used French oak, typically 14.9 to 15.5 percent alcohol
• Tim Atkin MW has rated Bodega Colomé an Argentine First Growth every year since 2020; the Altura Máxima Malbec is considered one of the world's most extreme fine wines

Bodega Colomé sits at the center of a much broader cultural-tourism ecosystem in the upper Calchaquí Valleys. The estate operates the Colomé Lodge (a nine-room luxury hotel set within the historic adobe-walled estate compound), the Museo James Turrell (the largest dedicated Turrell installation in the world, hosting nine permanent installations and drawing international visitors), and a working farm-to-table restaurant integrated with the surrounding biodynamic vineyards and gardens. The Colomé village itself has been revitalized under Hess Family Estates' stewardship with a school, medical clinic, and community infrastructure, and the estate is one of the largest employers in the upper Calchaquí Valleys. Donald Hess's death in 2022 was followed by continued family ownership under the Hess Family Estates organization, and the estate's cultural and philanthropic mission continues. International critics including Tim Atkin MW, James Suckling, The Wine Advocate (Luis Gutierrez), and Decanter consistently identify Bodega Colomé among Argentine First and Second Growths, and the estate is the international reference for the high-altitude Calchaquí style worldwide.

• Colomé Lodge (nine-room luxury hotel set within the historic adobe-walled estate); Museo James Turrell (largest dedicated Turrell installation in the world)
• Working farm-to-table restaurant integrated with the surrounding biodynamic vineyards and gardens; major destination in the upper Calchaquí Valleys
• Revitalized Colomé village with school, medical clinic, and community infrastructure; one of the largest employers in the upper Calchaquí
• Donald Hess died in 2022; continued family ownership under Hess Family Estates; cultural and philanthropic mission continues alongside winemaking