This is a Tannat based dessert wine from Uruguay. Very interesting. Dark brown in color. The nose is like a chocolate flavored Tootsie-Pop. Sweet and chocolaty. The palate is slightly viscous and very chocolaty. Sweet but just a bit. Not cloying. A little goes a long way, but a very fun wine.
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.
Uruguay is making the Tannat grape its own and there are more and more on the market. 14% ABV. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries with baking spices. On the palate, strong acidity. Nice texture. Firm tannins. The palate has black cherry fruit. A long finish. There is some value here. This should drink better with food to counter the tannins. Cassoulet would be a nice match. Drink over the next five to seven years.
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.
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.
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.
