Uruguay

At a recent tasting of Uruguayan wines, this seemed to be the crowds choice for best wine.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has raspberries, plums and milk chocolate.  Medium to firm tannins.  Soft texture.  On the palate, black cherries and plums.  Deep.  The finish is long with lots of fruit and tannins.  This is drinking well now but should improve.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Nice on its own, this will work better with food.  Pot Roast would work well.  

This is 100% Tannat.  Ruby in color, purple at the core, mostly clear and bright.  The nose seems warm/moist in a good way with black cherries, dark chocolate, spice and slight herbal notes.  Firm tannins.  Softer texture.  On the palate, black cherries and black raspberry fruit.  Good acidity.  The tannins kick up on the finish.  This is very tasty.  Good value.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.  It drinks well on its own but probably better with food.  It would be nice with grilled meats or even roasted vegetables.  

Uruguay’s flagship red wine is, and always has been, Tannat. It grows well there. Tannat, however, is not the friendliest of grape owing to its heavier tannic structure. For this iteration, it’s 100% Tannat and it offers blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, with back notes of wild cherry, plum and lingonberry. There is very little oak influence – just nine months in barrel - and very strong tannins, so this wine definitely needs some air time, and food. Tannat is not a cocktail wine and it needs to be paired with food, most typically in Uruguay it’s beef.

Pale golden in color with green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with floral notes, both fresh and dried.  Also some lemons and slight pears.  Medium bodied.  Slight viscosity.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, citrus with some minerality.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Good value.  This is an easy drinking white that is sure to please a crowd.  Drink over the next couple of years.  Nice on its own or with lighter foods but could even work with a burger off the grill.  

This is a nice Sauvignon Blanc that seems a bit old school in style.  Silvery gold in color with green hues, clear and bright. The nose is grassy with some green apples and very slight cat pee.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, grassy with some Meyer lemon notes.  Long finish.  This drinks very easily on its own and will work well with seafood or lighter foods.  I would work well with Tuna Salad.  Drink over the next couple of years.  Excellent value.

This was interesting.  The base wine is a Rose made from Tannat grapes.  Served straight with an ice cube and a piece of orange peel.  16%  Orange/pink in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with Chinese Five Spice and also floral notes.  Viscous.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet but also a bitter note that contrasts it.  A bit of a dried herbal note as well.  Good finish.  This is very refreshing and would work well in cocktails.  Drink in the next couple of years.  It makes a great aperitif and works nicely with fried appetizers.  

This is a dessert wine made in Uruguay from the Tannat grape.  It is aromatized with different roots and herbs and then fortified with brandy to 16% abv.  The base wine is aged for 24 months in French oak barrels.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is very different with caramel, cherries, chocolate and spices.  On the palate, cherries with vanilla and chocolate.  Sweet, not cloying.  Slight heat on the finish.  Very interesting and tasty as well.  This would  work well with chocolate desserts.  Drink over the next twenty years.  

This is a step up in price from the regular bottling and while a nice wine, the 2019 Reserva is the better wine for less money (a note is posted on this site).  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has some shoe polish/volatile acidity along with spice, black cherries and slight licorice.  Very light, almost resolved tannins.  Black cherry fruit.  This drinks very easily and seems to be at peak.  Drink over the next few years.  It will work well with pizza.  

In a recent tasting of ten Tannat wines, this finished first.  Pretty impressive for a wine that can be found under $15.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black licorice, a hint of sour cherries and slight spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  For such a young Tannat, this was quite accessible.  On the palate, black cherry fruit with just a bit of bell pepper.  Nice finish.  This probably should be consumed over the next three to five years.  It will work well with roasted chicken or even game.  

This was a delicious wine using Tannat grapes and made in the Ripasso method.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, spice and slight raisin notes.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is a bit jammy (oddly, the label said Rhubarb Marmalade), with black cherries and again, just a hint of raisin.  Tannic.  Good acidity.  Dry.  Long finish.  There is a nice complexity here as well.  Tasted in a group, this seemed to be a love it or hate it wine, but I loved it.  Drink over the next eight to twelve years.  This would work well with pasta with a meat sauce.