Online: Wines with Altitude - Bodega Colome of Argentina with winemaker Thibaut Delmotte & West London Wine School

If you’re a fan of world-class Argentinian Malbec then this is an evening you do not want to miss. For a rather special evening we welcome Bodega Colome winemaker Thibaut Delmotte to West London Wine School online who will guide us through the delights of high altitude grape growing and winemaking and how it reflects into a line-up of superb wines on the tasting. Included on this tasting is a rare opportunity to taste the Altura Maxima Malbec 2016 which retails at £85 per bottle! Bodega Colomé 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. The winery is located in the far north of Argentina in the Upper Calchaquí Valley with 140 hectares of biodynamically-run vineyards planted at extremely high altitudes of between 1,750 and 3,111 metres above sea level. The four estate vineyards are: ‘La Brava’ (1,750 metres) in Cafayate, ‘Finca Colomé’ (2,300 metres) surrounding the winery in Molinos, ‘El Arenal’ (2,700 metres) and ‘Altura Máxima’ (3,111 metres). Grapes grown at such high altitude develop very thick skins to protect themselves from the sun’s intense ultraviolet rays. As a result, the wines have more colour, aroma, flavours and antioxidants from the increased phenolics. The altitude also contributes to a wide diurnal temperature range of more than 20°C. The warmth of the day ripens the grapes and the coolness of the night preserves acidity and fragrance and ensures a longer growing season, which in turn yields supple and complex tannins. Tasting Date: Tuesday 18th May 2021 at 7:00pm (the tasting will last approximately 2 hours). TASTING FEE STRUCTURE: For this special two-hour tasting, an exclusive tasting kit is included in the listed price which includes a 75ml tasting sample of each wine, as well as tasting mat, tasting note paper and pen. Note: Tasting kits will be despatched to attendees within the week leading up to the tasting. Please confirm your postal address in the delivery form contained in the order confirmation email. DON'T WANT TO RECEIVE A TASTING KIT? We understand that not everyone will want to receive the wine samples, and would rather just register to participate in the online evening without the wines. That is absolutely fine! The fee to just register for this evening without receiving a tasting kit is £10. Just enter the promotional code: 75REGONLY when checking out to ensure you just pay the registration cost.  Tasting Kit: What's Included:

• 75ml tasting sample of each wine (6 in total) contained in a sterilised glass bottle and preserved with an inert gas (designed specifically for wine preservation)
• Tasting mat
• Tasting note sheet
• West London Wine School pen

Wines Included in Tasting Kit:

• 2020 Salta Torrontés, Bodega Colomé `Estate Series`
• 2019 `Finca Colomé` Salta Bonarda, Bodega Colomé `Lote Especial`
• 2018 Salta Malbec, Bodega Colomé `Estate Series`
• 2017 `El Arenal` Salta Malbec, Bodega Colomé `Lote Especial`
• 2019 `Auténtico` Salta Malbec, Bodega Colomé `Estate Series`
• 2016 Salta Malbec, Bodega Colomé `Altura Máxima`

TASTING FORMAT: Winemaker Thibaut Delmotte along with West London Wine School founder Jimmy Smith will host this exclusive tasting live at 7:00pm on Tuesday 18th May 2021. This single-evening tasting will be approximately 2 hours in length.  Unable to commit on the evening? No problem! Anyone registered for this tasting will gain access to the video recording of the live event, so you can always revisit any of these at anytime in the future - whether its because you missed participating in the live evening or if you want to revisit the presentation at a later date.