Wine Review: Colome Estate Torrontes 2023
A fantastic showcase of a lesser known grape that gives the big boys a run for their money
Wine: Colome Estate Torrontes 2024
Producer: Colome
Grape(s): Torrontes
Country: Argentina
Region: Salta
Alcohol: 13.5%
Vintage: 2024
Price: £15.99 from Askewine
This Christmas, I was gifted a wine-tasting course from my dearly beloved, long suffering family. The course itself deserves a whole post, so I won’t talk much about it here, but I’ve had the pleasure to sample a number of different wines and varietals from around the world. One varietal that really pissed me off was Gewurztraminer.
When it graced my table, Gewurztraminer looked like a winner. It smelt like a winner too. Amazing floral notes alongside lychee and rose petal, delivered in a very intense wave. Really enticing, and I don’t even like turkish delight (The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe really tricked generations into thinking turkish delight was the dog’s unmentionables).
However, that amazing potential faded once it reached my gob. I ended up getting a flabby, unstructured, cloying experience that really took the jam out of my donut. Maybe I just didn’t have a good example of Gewurztraminer. Maybe a good example is over £50. Maybe that whole concept can get in the bin. I’m not here for it. If it can’t make great wine at reasonable prices, I ain’t having it!
“But Ben, why are you complaining about Gewurztraminer in a review on Torrontes?” I hear you plead though your phone screen. Well, I loved the nose, that amazing orchestra of floral notes, playing in harmony. So colour me surprised when a few weeks later, we were introduced to Torrontes from Argentina, a grape that ticked all the boxes!
Grown almost exclusively in Argentina, Torrontes is a grape that sings, and can sit with the best of the best. Some of the most interesting examples come from the Salta region. With altitudes reaching up to 10,210ft, Salta has its own microclimate, where cool temperatures are married with constant sunlight almost every day of the year.
What this makes for is a stonkin’ good wine. Just know that if you see Salta Torrontes on the bottle, grab it! The time and effort to make this wine signifies the quality that goes into it.
So when I had the Torrontes on the wine course, what a revelation! Those luscious floral notes were finally backed up with acidity on the palate, bringing a vibrancy to the whole affair. I had a great time, and shuffled out to see if I could find it at my local wine shop.
So here we are, with the Colome Estate Torrontes 2024! We’re still in Salta, we’re still with Torrontes, and Colome are known for making very good examples of the style. Lets dig in!
Looking and smelling immediately gave me joy that Torrontes was not a one-hit wonder. A bouquet of white flowers came up to greet me, alongside those lychee and rose notes that I’ve come to know and love. But the tasting, ah the tasting! Those amazing aromas were carried forward by the acidity on the tongue, really driving forward at a zippy pace, leaving me feeling refreshed and gasping for another sip.
It’s a balancing act, pairing intense perfume aromas and bright acidity. But Colome has done it here, and I’m sure I’ll be back again for more. This was also a great buy, coming in at around £15.99 from Askewine. It’s a definite crowd-pleaser that will get everyone sitting up and noticing. If you’ve gotten a bit bored of lemon and citrus notes, and want something a bit more interesting that delivers on its promises, Colome Torrontes Estate 2024 has you covered.
Chin Chin,
Your Turkish-Delight-Hating, Mountain-Altitude-Measuring, Torrontes-Till-I-Die, Wine Reviewer Ben