When Michel Rolland hopped out of Arnaldo Etchart’s truck in Cafayate on that fateful day in 1988, the surroundings probably came as a shock.\n \n Giant cacti. A brilliant blue sky. Blinding sunlight and a brisk afternoon wind. The thin mountain air and towering, khaki-colored mountains around Cafayate let M. Rolland know he was not in Pomerol any more. He was in Argentina’s highest terroir, and had just signed on as a consultant for one of the area’s oldest wineries. \n \n This was to be Rolland’s first project in Argentina, and the superstar enologist still collaborates with Bodegas Etchart, which was established in 1850 and revived in 1938 by Arnaldo Benito Etchart. \n \n It might not look like it, but this spot in the high desert, at almost 1,800 meters above sea level, is an optimal place to grow wine grapes. Abundant sunshine and cold night air are perfect for ripening grapes and maintaining acidity. The arid climate and relative lack of vineyard pests make earth-friendly winegrowing very easy.\n \n Bodegas Etchart is the oldest and also the largest winery in Salta, Argentina’s highest-altitude winegrowing outpost, about a 13-hour drive north of Mendoza. About half the vines on their 400+ hectares are over 20 years old and all are farmed organically.\n \n Made of 100% Malbec and given a quick six-month stay in French oak barrels, the 2021 Bodegas Etchart Estate Malbec is in a distinctly different style than Mendoza Malbecs to the south. More about finesse and bright fruit than it is inky, raw power, it recalls the Northern Rhône in a way. It will be a pleasure to watch this wine develop over the next five years.
