I spent the day at this young winery in Punta Ballena, Uruguay, with the owner Paula and winemaker Carla. Alto de la Ballena is beautiful - set in the hills not far from the ocean and overlooking a lake. Paula gave me the history and showed me the Tannat, explaining what a vigorous vine it is; they often have to do leaf- and bunch- thinning a couple times in the spring to maximize the ripening potential of the grapes. They actually focus more on Merlot than Tannat, and their Tannat is blended with Viognier to get a softer wine. Way up in the highest hills of the property they grow Syrah, which Carla explained gets this spot because the elevation and soil allow it the best conditions for ripening.
Alto de la Ballena's tasting area is a covered deck overlooking the vineyards. The 3 of us sampled some wines and cheeses and exchanged our impressions. I particularly liked their Syrah, Tannat-Viognier and Merlot-CabFranc-Tannat.
After the tasting Carla showed me the winery and we did some barrel sampling of the '08 and '09 vintages of Cab Franc, Syrah, and Tannat. It was great to be able to taste the latest vintage and get a sense for how it develops in the barrel.
It was a beautiful day and Paula and Carla were amazing to spend so much time with me. Alto de la Ballena might be the dream vineyard - rocky soil, rolling sierras (hills), proximity to the ocean, and delicious wines. Muchas gracias, Señoras!
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