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| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.5 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 14 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Ernestas on 12/31/2023 & rated 91 points: Matured Tannat just starting to unfurl and blossom. Wine is aged for 20 months in new oak. Deep opaque ruby colour, purple hue. Medium+ intensity aroma of blackberries, liquorice, plums, chocolate, vanilla, blueberries, herbal and tobacco hints. Full body, juicy and concentrated with quite dense texture which is in sync with fruity and fresh flavours of blackberries, blueberries, liquorice, smoky and earthy hints. Not as complex, but pleasant and unique with high acidity and nearly fully resolved high chewy tannins. (181 views) | | | Tasted by isbjoern on 12/11/2021 & rated 91 points: Full-bodied, extremely dark, no bricking at all. This is still very young and unevolved, but approachable. Tannins have mostly resolved since we last tasted it in 2015, but it still has quite a bit of structure - as a Madiran should have. The flavor profile is maybe a hint one-dimensional, but it is an excellent Madiran. Will likely hold well for another 10 years. - 91points (541 views) | | | Tasted by DC-Absolut-John on 1/13/2021 & rated 92 points: Debated whether or not to open it and curiosity got me - but what a great surprise. Very interesting aromas right out of the bottle - very complex with fruit, pepper, and tobacco scents abounding.
Tannins were still there, but softened over time as it aired. I decanted and let it rest over the next several hours, sampling each hour.
Airing it out created a brighter nose and smoother taste.
Very impressive - just wish I had more.
If stored right, I could see this being good for many years to come. (857 views) | | | Tasted by Ralphie1 on 6/21/2019 & rated 88 points: Disappointed. Tannic, not that good. (1045 views) | | | Tasted by octopussy on 11/18/2018 & rated 91 points: Opened 6 hours in advance. Inky, almost black colour. In the nose, it shows herbal notes, some pencil shavings, blueberry and blackberry fruit, hints of floral notes in the background, very concise, dark and brooding. In the mouth, it's quite heavy and almost brutal, the tannins are fine and not coating the tongue, but they give the wine a very sturdy structure, fine acidity adds some freshness, the fruit is not sweet, rather a bit tart, nice minerality in the finish. This wine has everything you would expect in a Madiran, but the wine is almost overwhelming if drunk on its own. (1564 views) | | | Tasted by mhensel on 10/30/2018 & rated 92 points: Black core, reddish and bluish edges --- Nose shy, some wheat, some elegant wood notes, some red and blue fruit, some cherry, some cardboard --- Palate watery, fresh, lots of cherries, nice acidity, nice flow, nice wood notes, some blueberry, stimulating tannins, fresh, vivid --- Finishes rather long on some fruit, minerals and nice tartness. I was told that a Madiran asks patience and now it is coming together. Clear, focussed vine with a captivating fruit-acidity play and a nice flow. (1241 views) | | | Tasted by Oh Dae-su on 10/11/2016 & rated 90 points: Still rather young, tannin absolutely not too harsh, already enjoyable but no harm will be done it you keep it for a while. (1790 views) | | | Tasted by NoTrollingerPlease on 10/8/2016 & rated 91 points: Glass: Riedel Vinum Syrah
Clear, deep purple black color, almost inky. Medium intense, developing nose which reminds me a bit off wine from Priorat: Lots of dark and sour cherries, graphite, peat.
Dry. High, mellow tannin, but not as much as expected from this Tannat monster. Maybe it has polished over the years? Medium+/high acidity which gives this wine a kick of freshness and surprisingly only 13,5% abv for this full bodied wine. On the palate again lots of dark cherries, peat, oak. Very dense and powerful, but I had somehow expected more complexity. Medium+ finish, again dominated by cherries. It is a good wine, without any question, but not great,rather one dimensional. It has certainly a long future ahead, but I doubt that it will improve much. (1537 views) | | | Tasted by mhensel on 4/23/2016 & rated 92 points: Darkest red, black core --- Nose red fruit, elegant wood notes, sour cherry --- Palate watery, fresh, nice acidity, cherries overall, some peatiness --- Finishes on fruity flash back and mineral notes. This vine is about differentiation and clarity while there is not a lot going on but what is going on is deep and clear. Nice vine. (1666 views) | | | Tasted by isbjoern on 10/18/2015 & rated 90 points: Full-bodied, dark red with a mix of silky and chewy tannins, rather one-dimensional fruit, but excellent structure. Still seems very young, still primary fruit flavors, not sure if it will develop more complexity though. - 90 points (1385 views) | | | Tasted by PourritureNoble on 4/25/2009 & rated 93 points: Yes, this is very good. A massive wine but with gorgeous fruit and enough accidity to go a very long way. Will last for at least 20 more years. The wine is maybe a bit flat on the middle palate but I'm confident that when in 15 years everythnig has blended together this will be a worderfull wine. For now 93+. Next bottle 2015. (4066 views) | | | Tasted by PourritureNoble on 7/6/2008 & rated 92 points: This was very good indeed. Massive but quite approachable after a couple of hours decanting. This can easilly last an other decade and longer. For me though with the prominent fruit still showing it will be hard to stay of new bottles. This was a test if I want to put some bottles of this in my cellar. My conclusions is I will absolutely buy some more bottles. 92+ (3576 views) | | | Tasted by huse on 1/14/2008 & rated 95 points: Drank and bought the 2005 Madiran Cuvée Hécate at a wine-tasting in Mechelen, in the presence of Pierre Speyer (from Brussels), the sympathetic owner of the “Domaine Laffont”. I couldn’t resist the temptation to open a first bottle in January. This was clearly infanticide ; but what a wine. 100 percent Tannat, from vines about 70 years old. Black inky color; explosive, powerful nose (herbs, cherries, pepper); tremendous depth and complex body; very present but integrated tannins with suave texture, huge big finish. Surprisingly drinkable at the moment. Will try the next bottle in January 2009 and cellar my remaining bottles for at least 4-5 years before trying again. A superb wine!
Kocht de Madiran Cuvée Hécate 2005 op een wijnproeverij in Mechelen, waar ook Pierre Speyer,de sympathieke eigenaar van het “Domaine Laffont” (een Gentse Brusselaar), aanwezig was. Kon niet aan de verleiding weerstaan om al een fles te openen. Duidelijk nog veel te jong, maar nu reeds een fantastische wijn, voor 100 percent gemaakt uit zeer oude Tannat-stokken. Immens diepe, donkere kleur, met een krachtige en explosieve neus (kruiden, bessen, peper). Zeer complexe wijn van uiterst lage rendementen, met stevige tannines, die op dit ogenblik echter zeer toegankelijk zijn. Extreem lange afdronk. Deze wijn kan men (mits decanteren) nu al drinken, doch heeft zeker een enorm bewaarpotentieel. Een superbe wijn! (6372 views) |
| Domaine Laffont Producer websiteTannat Varietal character (Appellation America) | Wikipedia
A southern French variety, it's most commonly found in the southwest part of the country near the Pyrenees. Characteristically, it has hard tannins, raspberry aromas, and a fair amount of astringency. Given those tannins, it's successful as the base for French roses, where tannins are minimized by little skin contact. In blends, particularly in California, Tannat adds bite to what might otherwise be flabby or soft wines resulting from overripe grapes.
Wine from the Tannat grape is typically rough and tannic when young, but with aging will mature into a full-bodied red wine. Modern winemaking in France (Madiran appellation) has begun to emphasize the fruit more and utilize barrel aging to help soften the tannins, with the wines typically spending about twenty months in oak prior to bottling.
The Tannat vine was introduced in Uruguay by Basque settlers in the 1870’s and began to flourish as it readily adapted to the local soil and climate. Today it is often blended with Pinot Noir and Merlot, and is made in a variety of styles including those reminiscent of Port and Beaujolais. Although considered Uruguay’s national grape, Tannat is also grown in Argentina, Australia, Brazil and in Italy's Puglia region where it is used as a blending grape.
Tannat wines produced in Uruguay are usually lighter in body and lower in tannins than those from France. In France, efforts to solve the harsh tannic nature of this grape led to the development of the winemaking technique known as micro-oxygenation. Vineyards in Uruguay have begun to distinguish between the "old vines" that are descendants from the original European cuttings and the new clones introduced in the 1990’s. The newer vines tend to produce more powerful wines with higher alcohol levels but less acidity and complex fruit characteristics, although some wineries utilize both vines to make blends.
First brought to the US late in the 19th century by a UC Berkeley agricultural professor, Tannat plantings did not receive much attention until the 1990’s when California producers, most notably in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Paso Robles viticultural areas, began using it in blends with Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese and Syrah. In 2002, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms formally recognized Tannat as a separate varietal.
In the vineyard, Tannat is one of the easiest varietals to grow, ripening late and being frost hardy. Unlike other varietals, it is not prone to overproduction and so does not require thinning. The grape’s berries have thick skins, which make it resistant to powdery mildew and botrytis, and which contributes to the varietals naturally high tannins. One notable difficulty with growing Tannat is its thick stems, which cling tightly to the berries and can be difficult to remove at harvest.
Tannat has significantly higher polyphenol content than other red grapes, making it the most bioactive variety with regards to oxidative reactions in food. Doctors have recommended Tannat as being the best wine grape for cardiopulmonary health because it contains a large amount of the antioxidant procyanidin, a chemical which helps bolster blood vessels and increase oxygen flow to red blood cells, ultimately helping to avert cardiovascular disease.
Tannat makes decidedly robust wines, with pronounced aromas of tobacco smoke, plum or ripe berries. The wines also tend to be dense purple-red in color, with significant tannins and a wonderfully spicy finish. Notable California producers include Bonny Doon Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Tablas Creek Vineyards in Paso Robles.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comSouthwest France Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins du Sud Ouest | Les vins du Tarn-et-Garonne on-lineMadiran Vin de Madiran (l'ESAT de Madiran)
The Madiran appellation is where red wines were born to go with magret and confit de canard. Alain Brumont is a master of this deep, dark-fruited, powerfully grippy style, the tannins melding satisfyingly with the fat of the meat. HT: |
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