External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2019
2018
2017
2014
2013
2007
2006
2005
2004
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2008 and 2011 (based on 3 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.9 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 7 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by JdeM on 1/26/2010 & rated 90 points: Its time has come - drink up. (2633 views) | | | Tasted by spish on 3/23/2009 & rated 91 points: A favorite amongst friends, they're always surprised. They always ask if I can bring a bottle, unfortunately I only have 3 left! Big, bold and tannic as all get out but mellows out after an hour or so in the decanter. (2804 views) | | | Tasted by Corgoson on 2/1/2009 & rated 83 points: Blueberry smell. Medium-full body with lots of character. Wine is fruity like blueberry and plum, but mostly a ceder note. Hints of tobacco and dark chocolate. A good wine but it is not my cup of tea. (2595 views) | | | Tasted by thirsty_cat on 2/1/2009 & rated 87 points: Smells really strongly alcoholic, cherry nose with a little pomegranate. Smooth wine with a hint of sweetness, medium body and very fruity: notes of cherry, pomegranate, and raspberry. Not much spice or wood, just plain fruit taste with a sharp finish. Slightly smokey. Easy drinking, could improve with age. (2438 views) | | | Tasted by laparka on 12/7/2008 & rated 89 points: What a great surprise. Concentrated, dark, thick. Tannic (as expected) but very drinkable , 20 mos. in barrel but not at all over-oaked, because the wine is big enough to handle it. A fantastic bargain. Uruguayans are proud of their tannat, but 4 times out of 5 the nationalist hype doesn't hold up in the tasting because the winemaking skills aren't yet quite to world standards. This is one of the 1 in 5 exceptions. (3018 views) | | | Tasted by in namorato on 9/28/2008 & rated 92 points: We tasted this 2004 at our tasting - we all had mistaken it for a French - very expensive bottle. Definitely an excellant value wine.
Full body - very deep tannic - but yet soft and long lingering taste - lots of flavour - chocolate, juciy berries and layers of spices - and the 20 months of barrel age comes out in the taste.
If the house wanted this wine to compete with the Argentinian Malbec - then the Argentian's have a lot of catching up. (1746 views) | | | Tasted by Double-A on 8/5/2008 & rated 90 points: Buttery, toasty oak over black currant and earth nose. Assertive and full-bodied with fresh fruit flavours; good, focused finish.
4/5 (158 views) |
| Bodegas Carrau Producer website Music can be muted - click EQ graphic on top-left of site.Tannat 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.Uruguay Wines of Uruguay (Asociación de Bodegas Exportadoras de Vinos Finos del Uruguay) |
|
