Kronick Wino

MMMMM…………Tannat

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 | Tannat, Uruguay wines, Wine Tasting Notes | No Comments

I have to take a serious time-out today and talk about the wine I drank the other night.

The name of it is ‘AMAT‘. It is a 2002 Tannat Bodegas Cerro Chapau wine from Uruguay’s Rivera region. And WOW. So smooth, so rich and delicious. It’s got this great nose of black truffles and oak. It’s been aged in 50% French and 50% American (New) oak. Then when you taste it, you get dark luscious berry fruit with some leather and spice and smooth french oakey finish. The finish also lingers for a bit which is nice. It paired very nicely with some herbed goat cheese and sauteed mushrooms, baked figs with Serrano ham and blue cheese, and also some grilled hanger steak, but especially with a roasted leg of lamb appetizer. If you find this, do yourself a favor and pick it up! It’s slightly pricey - around $24 - $30/bottle. But man, worth every penny. Savor it, don’t gulp it.

A little back story on this fine grape which I had never tried till this:

Tannat is known as the national grape of Uruguay, but originally originates from the Basque region of France. It was introduced around the 19th century to Uruguay. It’s typically quite tannic and generally used as a blending grape, working with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc to soften its astringency. However, in this case, oak was used to soften the bite. The Tannat wines produced in Uruguay are characterized by more elegant and softer tannins and blackberry fruit notes, than those in France.

If you try one, let me know what you think! I will definitely be adding this to my list of wines to cellar and drink now!

Tags: 2002 Tannat, Cerro Chapau, earthy wine, red wine, Tannat, Tannat wines, Uruguay wine, Wine Tasting Notes