Sunset from the vineyards of Alto de la Ballena
Alto de la Ballena, has a premium location in Uruguay. Not just is it a stone throw from the popular holiday town of Punta del Este, but the views from the winery are magnificent. As the cattle browses the pastures in search of the greenest grass, your graze is pleasantly distracted by a small lagoon with rolling hills accentuating the harmony of nature creating a breath-taking spectacle. Experiencing a sunset there with a glass of one of the winery’s delicious wines gets one nowhere far from a feeling as if cut-out from your imaginary of a paradise. Indeed, the paradise on Earth, stress-free, worry-free, and all the life negatives-free.
The winery’s name is almost surreal. Alto de la Ballena meaning “The highs of whales” received its name and picture on the label from its location at Sierra de la Ballena (the Whale Hills).
The owners Paula Pivel (winemaker) and Alvaro Lorenzo (her husband and director) bought almost 20 hectares of land in the Sierra de la Ballena in the year 2000. In late 2003 Paula left her stable job at a bank in Montevideo (capital of Uruguay) to devote her life to winemaking at Alto de la Ballena. Before that she studied as a winemaker at the National Wine School in Uruguay.
Vineyards of Alto de la Ballena
So far only eight hectares are planted with vines. The iron-rich soil of oxidized grey granite, schist and quartz is ideal for producing high quality wines. The first harvest was in 2005, four years after planting the first vines on the estate. Most of the property lies on a very rocky slop, unsuitable for vine plantation, yet visually attractive and popular between the local animals and colourful harmless lizards.
The vines
The vines planted and wines made are: Merlot, Tannat, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and the lonely white Viognier. Sustainable winemaking is prominent in Uruguay and the winery embraces most of its aspects including underground ageing of the wines, thus “taking advantage of the topography and the location at the foothill.” because of this system a high amount of energy is being saved.
Tannat with Viognier blend
They make single varietal wines such as Syrah and Merlot, but also blends with Tannat. The Reserva of Tannat/Merlot/ Cabernet Franc being an exemplary achievement of balance and roundness. The fresh yet slightly jammy fruit is balanced by a touch of wood and rewarding with a lingering finish. More adventurous is the blend of a highly tannic red Tannat with Viognier, the white northern Rhone fragrant grape varietal. The problem with it is that the result proved to be highly vintage sensitive so the winemaker has to work hard each year to achieve the ideal balance. I have tried the 2009 vintage that was complex (floral touch of Viognier contrasting the big and powerful Tannat with a zing of fresh mint ) and interesting, yet not my favourite. The fruity, round and balanced Merlot with a masculine touch of cigar and tobacco and the velvety smooth Reserva 2008 red blend were my preferred choices.
Merlot from Alto de la Ballena
The success came quite soon for such a new winery. With first wine released to the market in 2007 the wines I have tasted proved to be very well done. Striving for harmony and complexity is surely the right way to go for the friendly and ambitious female winemaker.
We tasted the wines together with an abundant cheese plate (from the local farms) Paula prepared for us in the tasting “room”, which is rather a wooden deck protected from the local strong winds by shields of see-through curtains, to maintain the spectacle of surrounding landscape. It was truly an unforgettable experience I would recommend to anyone visiting the area. If you get bored with lying on the beach, then set off for a small wine tasting trip and enjoy the beauty of the Uruguay’s countryside.
Sun setting over the vineyard
VISIT:
Address: Bodega y Viñedos Alto de la Ballena
Ruta 12 Km. 16.400
Sierra de la Ballena – Dept. Maldonado, Uruguay
Contact: Phone: 094 410 328/+(598) 94 410 328
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