Tannat

Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is lovely with plums, salinity and black raspberries.  Lush texture.  Light tannins.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, there is some depth.  Black cherries with spice, and char.  Good finish.  This is very approachable and drinking well.  It would go nicely with a plate of pasta with a meat or mushroom sauce with a touch of spice.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  Excellent value.

The 2019 version of this wine was one of the better Tannats I have tasted and this one is even better.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has a bit of reduction but that blew off quickly leaving black cherries, black raspberries, spice, and a slight celery seed note.  Plush texture.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  Good balance.  On the palate, plums, black cherries with a touch of dark chocolate.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is drinking well now and should continue for another ten to fifteen years.  It is great on its own and will work nice with braised beef dishes.  

Violet in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries and char.  Creamy texture.  Medium tannins.  The palate matches the nose with black raspberries and char.  Good finish but a bit of heat.  This is more classic in style but without the formidable tannins.  It is drinking well now and should continue for another ten to twelve years.  A nice match for a grilled burger but would also be good with grilled vegetables.  

This is a blend of 80% Tannat and 20% Petit Menseng from Uruguay.  The Tannat grapes are destemmed and then macerated with the petite Mennseng on the skins.  The result is a lighter more approachable Tannat.  Ruby/blue in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is dusty with black cherries.  Medium bodied.  Silky texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black cherries and gravel.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own and will work well with food.  This is a great choice for mid-week pizza or pasta.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

Ruby/blue in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has plums and raspberries.  Soft texture but firm tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries fruit and seeds (slight bitter note in a good way) along with some char.  Good finish with that same "bitter" quality.  This is a very nice wine that needs some time/air for the tannins to integrate.  This would work well with venison but also with pasta bolognaise.  Drink over the next ten years.  Great value.

This is an interesting blend of 50% Tannat, 33% Merlot, and 17% Malbec from Virginia.  The name, L.

It’s not easy to find an approachable Tannat, one that drinks well right out of the bottle. One of the reasons is that the Tannat grape has more, and larger, seeds than other grapes therefore the tannins are more aggressive. Tame that and you’ve got it nailed. Uruguay is a country pushing Tannat to the world and with great results. This 2020 is a lively robust wine that will change your mind about this misunderstood grape.

From a 500ml size bottle.  The name translates to "The Sin".  This is a dessert wine from Paso Robles that is made from 78% Tannat and 22% Grenache grapes.  The grapes are air dried on wooden racks and then go thru a fermentation.  During that process the wine is infused with hand roasted coffee beans and cocoa nibs.  It is a really enjoyable wine, but let's talk about the wine.  First, the drying process is supposed to increase sugar levels by 40%.  It is unclear how ripe the grapes were at harvest.  The wine is listed at 15% abv, which seems very high for a dessert wine that is not fortif

An unusual blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Tannat, 13% Grenache and 3% Syrah from Paso Robles.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has black raspberries, cassis, char, black cherries and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is deep.  A bit chunky with cassis, black raspberries and black cherries with underlying  char.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Delicious on its own, this would be a great wine with a steak.  It will need big food.  

This is a blend of 50% Tannat 30% Merlot and 20% Tempranillo.  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, plums, chocolate and spice.  Medium tannins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this drinks like a bold, young Bordeaux (which is a compliment).  Cherries, black cherries, cinnamon, and plums.  There is a nice complexity.  Its is drinking well but may still improve.  Either way, it should drink well for the next ten to fifteen years.  It drinks well on its own and will work well with roasted meats and vegetables.