2011 Colome Autentico Malbec

The 2011 Autentico Malbec is a bit of a chameleon, as it starts young and fruity, with a grapy character of raspberries and red currants, but when you let it breath it reveals a much more serious wine, compact and tight-knit, with perfectly integrated oak, ripe and fresh, perhaps a little simple, but very pleasant. Drink 2014-2017. Colome claims to have the highest vineyards in the world, located between 2,300 and 2,600 meters altitude in Salta, northern Argentina. It belongs to Californian Donald Hess, who purchased an old winery dating from 1831. The vineyards are cultivated following biodynamical methods. Importer: The Hess Collection, CA; tel. (707) 265-3489; www.hesscollection.com