Pablo Diaz - El Wilque
Pablo Emilio Diaz Hidalgo - 3986
12
"El Wilque · Pablo Emilio Diaz Hidalgo · Washed · Geisha · Santa Rita, El Tambo, Nariño
At 2,080 metres, Santa Rita is one of the highest farms in the Collection, high enough that a frost can erase a season's potential. Pablo Emilio Diaz Hidalgo's washed Geisha from these slopes in El Tambo, Nariño, scored 88.18 points.
The farm carries the arc of Colombian coffee in its history. Pablo grew up among his father's Caturra trees and watched leaf rust and the price crisis of the 1990s force the family to uproot them. They rebuilt with the Colombia variety, one season at a time. Today coffee grows across about twelve hectares of volcanic soil, bordered by a natural reserve his father has always protected, with streams running through the property.
Gesha came later, and the land suggested it. Cuppings kept showing a quality the family traced to the volcanic earth, so Pablo planted it. Before this auction, the lot had already reached the auction stage of a local competition.
The processing is built around the cold. Cherries ferment for 12 hours before depulping, then for a further 48 hours in the cool mountain air. At this altitude fermentation moves slowly, and Pablo treats that slow pace as the point: it is how he builds depth into the cup. The result is apricot and bergamot with mint and black tea, over brown sugar and nuts."
General Information
About the Farm
Santa Rita sits at 2,080 metres in El Tambo, Nariño, and is named for Pablo Emilio Diaz Hidalgo's great aunt. Pablo inherited the farm from his father and rebuilt it after leaf rust and the 1990s price crisis. Coffee now grows across about twelve hectares beside a natural reserve the family protects.