Estancia Colomé & James Turrell Museum
Appreciation, sensibility and flavors
We had visited Colomé and its museum of another dimension several times, but we had yet to enjoy the full experience, which involves staying overnight at the Estancia, the boutique hotel in this inhospitable landscape surrounded by vineyards and lavender trees.
We were assigned one of the junior suites with a view of the winery and, in the background, the majestic hills surrounding the hacienda. Sophisticated decorative details, luxurious facilities and five-star service, all under the attentive direction of Connie Bearzi, is the best synthesis of the place.
Upon arrival, after the welcome refreshment, the day was an invitation to relax in the solarium and dive into the swimming pool. Colomé almost always has sunshine and, during the seasonal months, it is impossible not to enjoy it. It was simply a matter of lying on the lounge chair and letting the slow hours go by, soaking up the fresh air and the quietness of the silence.
Around sunset, it was time for the wine tasting: the classic torrontés from the Calchaquíes Valleys; the Colomé Estate (a malbec of four different heights); the Colomé Auténtico, harvested from the best plots of the estate at 2,300 meters; and the Misterioso, an extraordinary white wine so named because it comes from old vines of which the grape variety could never be identified.
Once the taste had been satiated, it was time to reward the sight. We entered the James Turrell Museum with the illusion of a child to live the experience of light, appreciate its beauty and admire the talent and expertise of the Californian artist. It is no coincidence that the pioneer Donald Hess imagined the construction of this museum right on this site, where the union between space and light is translated into art.
The luminosity of the pure Salta sky and the altitude generate the perfect conditions for the conceptions of the multifaceted American.
@tripticity_' s favorite is undoubtedly the "ganzfeld" installation, which I also experienced during my visit to the islands of art in Japan. One enters a room, stairs invite you to climb, in the conviction that they are just steps before a wall and, to the surprise of the mood, a large space opens up in which the depth extends into a visual and sensory infinity.
James Turrell's proposal is not only felt, it is lived; almost like a call to become aware of oneself, of space and its fluctuating beauty. Although there are works of his in the main cultural centers of the world, the museum of the Bodega and Estancia Colomé is the only one dedicated exclusively to his work.
Photographs are not allowed inside the museum, which at first may be resisted, but in truth it is the most accurate rule, because all the attention is on the experience and not on the desire to record.
And, for the end, during the twilight, we were invited to lie down to experience -never better used this word- the work Open Sky. A square open to the sky, in which the clouds pass and pass again, while the light generates a progressive and sublime coloration as the stars appear, giving rise to those moments in which one glimpses, in its deepest interior, something impossible to explain. Life, perhaps.
That night a supreme banquet still awaited us, designed and executed by a chef we were fortunate to meet, Patricia Courtois, winner of the Baron B Grand Prix at the time, as she came to the table to confirm the obvious, that everything had gone not well but outstanding. Patricia organizes the menu according to the daily harvest from the hotel's farm, right there where shepherdess Susana sits telling her stories while her sheep frolic on the side.
We start with a time-smoked eggplant pasta, then some purslane fritters. Next, sweetbreads with carrot puree and to finish off a steak with wine reduction, vegetables and mashed potatoes. At dessert time, a tasting of variants: chocolate texture and torrontés pears with cedron ice cream, which our palate will keep as one of the richest ever enjoyed.
The next morning, a great breakfast in the arched gallery and a walk among the vineyards. Then the balcony of the room almost forced us to practice yoga and meditation, contemplating the superb view.
Swimming pool all day, of course. Then another glass of torrontés, in the superb library that holds fantastic contemporary art books. And finally the farewell dinner, which was equally outstanding: cheese roll with goat caprese and corn terrine with greens and red onion; then a salad of goat cheese, greens, apple and fresh tomato; for the main course, a spiced rolled kid with potato and basil rösti; the sweets were sautéed grilled figs with cane honey ice cream and brownie with caramelized dulce de leche. A delight? No, much more.
The talent of the local chef, Pachi Chocobar, is also outstanding. Both the commitment to local and seasonal flavors and the expertise and creativity of the cooks are evident. The absolute freshness of the vegetables does the rest.
The experience at Estancia y Bodega Colomé is undoubtedly expensive, but worth it. After all, it is impossible to put a price on two enlivening and inspiring days that will feed your soul for the rest of your life.
