Another Exploration into Uruguay Tannat

Last week I was able to continue my exploration of Uruguay wine - specifically Tannat - through a Masterclass presented by Peter Granoff, MS. and sponsored by Uruguay Wine and INAVI (Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura). The seminar stressed the lighter and fresher versions of Tannat rather than bold, heavily oaked expressions as well as the 200+ soil types and maritime influences. 

Uruguay resides in the same parallels as its neighbors Argentina & Chile, but also South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The soils are mostly clay, there's plenty of sunshine, and the vineyards are primarily situated near the Rios de la Plata (across from Buenos Aires) or near the Atlantic Ocean. Think cool coastal breezes and balanced and structured wines. There's a relatively long wine-making tradition in the county as immigrants from Spain, Italy, and Germany brought their wine-making traditions and wine grapes with them. 

It's most important to stress the maritime influences upon viticulture. According to our prep material, "About a third of Uruguay has an Atlantic coastline. The dominant winds in Uruguay come from the sea, bringing with them cool, rainy conditions resulting in about 1,000 mm/39 inches of rainfall a year, while the interior experiences high peaks in temperature in summer and rainfall that can be as much as 63 inches/1600 mm a year in some areas.

Another third of Uruguay runs along the Uruguay River, which flows into the Paraná River to form the Río de la Plata, one of the largest estuaries in the world. This shoreline experiences higher temperatures, which can be as high as106° F/41º C in summer. Similar conditions are to be found in the center and north of the country, albeit with a larger thermal range.

In general terms, whites and varieties with shorter cycles are to be found closer to the coast, in vineyards stretching from Rocha to Maldonado through part of Canelones. Meanwhile, the interior,

stretching from Canelones to San José and Colonia, specializes in reds with longer growing

cycles".

Uruguay is located on the Río de La Plata craton; a craton is a mass of pre-Cambrian rock that has not been affected by the movement of continents. The Río de la Plata craton is one of five on the continent of South America. The craton and rivers help create three distinct soil types. "(1) In the Department of Maldonado it takes the form of low, heavily eroded sierras of grey granite – 2.5 billion years old, and the oldest rock on the planet. The soils of Maldonado are formed by the erosion of this rock and are rich in clay, with varying depth determined by proximity to the hills. (2) Around Montevideo, in Canelones, the soils are deeper, created by erosion of the craton itself as well as eolian deposits. These soils are clay-based and retain less water, depending on the sand content brought by the river. (3) The shore of the Uruguay River, between San José and Colonia, has clay soils deposited by the river along with abundant pockets of calcium carbonate created by dead sea life from previous eras.

Wine Regions:  

• Metropolitan: 12,076 acres/4,887 ha
  Includes departments of San José, Canelones, and Montevideo. Deep, clay soils also include strips of pink granite, making for a terroir well-suited to Tannat. 
• Oceanic: 1,053 acres/426 ha
  Includes two departments, Maldonado and Rocha with a varied topography which is the primary factor in distinguishing its wines. The Cuchilla Grande is the highest point in Uruguay, reaching a height of 1,600 feet/488 m above sea level, contributing a mix of granite and ballast to the soils. The climate is oceanic where white varieties dominate. 
• Southern Riverside: 722 acres / 292 ha
  Includes departments of Colonia, Río Negro, and Soriano. The influence of the Uruguay River can be seen in the sedimentary soils of Carmelo, while the San Juan River is distinguished by rockier soils. The region accounts for 5.2% of hectares under vine in Uruguay. Carmelo lies at the center of the southern shore. A dozen wineries are scattered throughout the area. Soils are distinguished by pockets of calcium carbonate deposits. Reds are the heart of the region.
• Northern Riverside: 408 acres/165 ha
  This terroir spans the departments of Artigas, Paysandú and Salto along the shore of the Uruguay River. This is a continental terroir, with a thermal range between day and night of up to 20 degrees, and high relative humidity. Soils range from riverbed gravel to calcareous clay, with varying amounts of lime and sand. 
• Center: 109 acres/44 ha
  Here, the departments of Durazno, Florida, and Lavalleja are the most relevant in terms of area under vine. The soil and climate are similar to that of the Metropolitan area.
• North: 84 aces/34 ha
  The Rivera and Tacuarembó departments are planted in different geological formations, each rich in iron, comprising 84 acres/34 ha of vines, or 0.6% of the total. A continental climate with a significant thermal range. Experiences more hours of sunlight than any other region of Uruguay.

Tannat was introduced into Uruguay in 1870 by Basque immigrants -- most likely collected from Southwest France. According to the seminar, the genetic origins are unclear but the first written record occurred in 1783 at Madiran in SW France. The grape has thick skins which provides a bulwark from humidity and contains 5-6 large seeds instead of the more standard 2-3 small seeds.  And Tannat appears to be well adaptive the the various Uruguay climate and soils. Viticulure and winemaking with Tannat has evolved over the last 20 years with growers pluck leaves to allow more sunshine and green harvest up to 50% of the fruit in order to "balance leaf area and fruit weight for a crop that can achieve better ripeness". In the cellar, the grapes are cold macerated before fermentation and micro-oxygenation where oxygen is introduced into the wine in a controlled manner to help tame Tannat's tannins. Other new methods are the co-fermentation with Viognier as well as a judicial use of oak or even completely unoaked wines. 

The Wines:

Pisano Wines is witness to a century of winemaking tradition - in Progreso in Canelones - and is operated by three Pisano brothers: Gustavo, the winemaker; Eduardo, the agronomist; and Daniel, the export manager. The family traces their heritage to Italian and Basque immigrants - this later from the group of people who introduced Tannat to Uruguay. Again like Montes Toscanini, the Pisano wines benefit from the Río de la Plata (River Plate) - an estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. The Pisano RPF Tannat 2020 Progreso, Canelones ($24) s a fresh and well-rounded wine with light and chewy sour cherries that alternate with darker fruit and soft tannins. 

The Cerro del Toro Winery was started by the Norwegian businessman, Lars T Ugland and the Kambara family from Japan in 2016 in a joint venture. The winery is located on the north-eastern face of the Cerro del Toro hill in an 800-hectare estate in Piriápolis. The Cerro del Toro vineyard currently have 28 hectares of vines planted only 2 km from the Atlantic Ocean. The Cerro del Toro Tannat 2020 Piriápolis, Maldonado ($25)vis unoaked with the dark fruit coming forward with some earthiness and saline as the freshness lasts long into the tail. 

Bodega Garzón is also a coastal winery located eleven miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Their estate has more than 1,000 small vineyard blocks covering its hillside slopes, which benefit from varying microclimates, different levels of humidity, and an intense canopy management as was described above. These factors allow the vines to develop with maximum exposure to the sun providing rich, expressive fruit. This is the Garzón Reserva Tannat 2021 Maldonado ($18) in a nutshell, very structured with layers of fresh fruit and an extended finish.

Alto de la Ballena is a small winery operating in the Sierra de la Ballena located just 15 kilometers from the Atlantic coast. The small 8-hectare estate vineyard benefits from the oceanic air as well as excellent drainage from the steep, granite, and schist hillside mountain soils. The winery's birth is dated at the Millenium when  Paula and Alvaro quit their finance jobs after spending the previous two years searching for the ideal vineyard location. They found that in the Maldonado department in the Oceanic region.  They showed an interesting wine in the Alto de la Ballena Tannat Viognier 2018 Sierra De La Ballena ($26) - an 85-15% blend. They manage both lots so that they can be harvested very close together allowing for co-fermentation. The Viognier adds a more intense aroma and softens the Tannat's tannins creating a fantastic fresh wine. Still structured with juice acidity, some herbs, and juice and chewy sour cherries. 

Basta Spirit was founded in 2018 and produces spirits using a Tannat base. The Vermut Flores Rosé NV Canelones ($16) contains 27 botanicals, including flowers such as hops, chamomile, rose, and elderberry. It is extremely aromatic, with loads of herbaceousness and forest spiciness - very gin-like. One participant mentioned sipping with sour cherry juice and thus I created a delicious using equal parts vermouth and Del Maguey Mezcal followed by a heavy dose of Don Ciccio & Figli Cerasum Aperitivo.

Grape Spotlight: Uruguay Wine 101

Last week I participated in an Uruguay Wine 101 seminar hosted by Uruguay Wine and INAVI (Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura) and presented by Martina Litta (Uruguay Wine - INAVI Foreign Trade Manager) and Joaquín Hidalgo (Wine columnist, La Nación - Argentina). The seminar itself was quite informative with a presentation on the country's wine regions and major wine grapes implemented using samples from nine producers, video greetings from each producer, and the participation of a couple winemakers. Definitely a worthy candidate for a case study in successful seminars. 

Ms. Litta started the session by describing Uruguay and several general facts about this country.

• 
  The name means “river of the painted birds” in the indigenous Guarani language.
• South America’s second smallest nation after Suriname with a similar surface area to Wisconsin.
• Population 3.4 million – a population close to that of Connecticut, but less than Brooklyn and Manhattan combined.
• Largely European heritage, primarily Spanish and Italian in origin.
• Cows outnumber humans in Uruguay 4 to 1 and Uruguayans consume more meat per capita than any other country in the world 

Mr. Hidalgo then discussed the Uruguay wine industry where the terroir is closer to Bordeaux than either Argentina or Chile and the mild and humid climate is affected by both river and ocean influencers. 

• With 14,804 acres/5,991 hectares under vine, the wine regions are slightly larger than Saint - Émilion in Bordeaux and slightly smaller than Alexander Valley in California.
• The only South American terroir whose climate is affected by the Atlantic Ocean.
• 
  180 wineries are currently operating in the country. Most are family-run, with two-thirds located in the Metropolitan Region.
• More than 50% of the grape harvest in Uruguay is done by hand
• The vineyards of Maldonado are planted above some of the oldest rocks on earth, the Río de La Plata craton, which is 2.5 billion years old.
• Tannat is the most widely planted variety in Uruguay at 3,892 acres/1,575 ha and it is not offended by humidity.
• In Uruguay, Tannat is also known as Harriague (Ha-ree-AH-gay), the surname of the first producer to plant it in the country.
• The VCP label stands for Wine of Preferential Quality and distinguishes fine wines from mass-market versions.

Mr. Hidalgo then discussed the six winemaking regions of Uruguay encompassing five distinct terroirs. The dominant winds in Uruguay come from the Atlantic, bringing with them cool, rainy conditions. Peak summertime temperatures in the south can reach 87° F/31° C, with rainfall averaging 39 inches/1,000 mm annually. Peak summertime temperatures in northern Uruguay can hit 106° F/41º C, with rainfall of up to 63 inches/1,600 mm annually. 

The Regions:  

• 
  Metropolitan: 12,076 acres/4,887 ha
  Includes departments of San José, Canelones, and Montevideo. Deep, clay soils also include strips of pink granite, making for a terroir well-suited to Tannat. 
• Oceanic: 1,053 acres/426 ha
  Includes two departments, Maldonado and Rocha with a varied topography which is the primary factor in distinguishing its wines. The Cuchilla Grande is the highest point in Uruguay, reaching a height of 1,600 feet/488 m above sea level, contributing a mix of granite and ballast to the soils. The climate is oceanic where white varieties dominate. 
  
• Southern Riverside: 722 acres / 292 ha
  Includes departments of Colonia, Río Negro, and Soriano. The influence of the Uruguay River can be seen in the sedimentary soils of Carmelo, while the San Juan River is distinguished by rockier soils. The region accounts for 5.2% of hectares under vine in Uruguay. Carmelo lies at the center of the southern shore. A dozen wineries are scattered throughout the area. Soils are distinguished by pockets of calcium carbonate deposits. Reds are the heart of the region.
• Northern Riverside: 408 acres/165 ha
• Center: 109 acres/44 ha
• North: 84 aces/34 ha
  The Rivera and Tacuarembó departments are planted in different geological formations, each rich in iron, comprising 84 acres/34 ha of vines, or 0.6% of the total. A continental climate with a significant thermal range. Experiences more hours of sunlight than any other region of Uruguay.

The Wines: 

Marichal Wines is a family-owned winery that was established in 1938 and is now in its third and fourth generation of family winemaking headed by winemakers Juan Andrés and Alejandro Marichal. The vineyards are located in the department of Canelones in the Metropolitan region. These vines benefit from warm weather, cool Atlantic breezes, and deep clay soil. The Marichal Sauvignon Blanc 2022 ($14) is very aromatic (citrus); dry, with juicy lemon and melons, some vegetable character; and finishing with chewy tannins. 

Bracco Bosca is located in Atlantida in the Oceanic region and their 11-hectare vineyard is managed by fifth-generation grower Fabiana Bracco. These vines are located just eight kilometers from the ocean and this proximity is reflected in the surprising Bracco Bosca Ombú Moscatel 2022 ($16). This is a dry wine, with the expected floral and tropical aromatics but powered by salinity and creamy melons and pears. Excellent. 

In 1979 Familia Deicas took over the historic 18th-century estate and winery of Establecimiento Juanicó -- rejuvenated that brand and launched their own Familia Deicas brand in 2000. Here they focus on premium wines with low intervention winemaking from third-generation vigneron Santiago Deicas and utilize multiple vineyards in various regions in Uruguay. One of these vineyards is the Sierra de Mahoma, San José - located in western Montevideo. This vineyard is called the “sea of stones” because it looks like a sea bed with loam soils that are covered in gravel and almost vertical schist. The low fertility and limited water-storing capacity mean that these vineyards produce a very low yield of very concentrated grapes. This minerality is evident in the Familia Deicas Bodegones del Sur Vineyards Select Cabernet Franc 2020 ($20) which also includes a minty aroma and juicy herbaceous and red fruit flavors. 30% of the wine was aged in American and French oak barrels --providing greater roundness.

Gimenez Mendez is a family winery where the first vines were planted in 1950 and today is run by Marta Marta Méndez Parodi and her youngest son Mauro Giménez Méndez. The winery specializes in Tannat grown in Las Brujas, a sub-region in Canelones, and, in fact, currently releases seven different styles of Tannat. Summers are dry in Las Brujas with high daytime temperatures which shift to the colder side in the evenings from the cool coastal breezes. This enhances acidity that is abundant in the Giménez Méndez Alta Reserva Tannat 2020 ($18). Also expect ripe red fruit and a slight black pepper and tobacco nose, followed by plums and other black fruit, the aforementioned juicy acidity, and solid tannins.

Winemaking in the Toscanini family descends over 100 years into the past when the patriarch of the family emigrated from Italy and settled in the department of Canelones, producing his first wine in 1908.  Seven decades later (in 1979), Margot Toscanini de Montes and her brother acquired the current winery in Las Piedras, giving rise to Montes Toscanini. And in 1995, the responsibility of the winery descended to Enól. Leonardo Montes Toscanini, who along with other members of the fourth generation of the family, has run the winery to this day. The grapes for the Montes Toscanini Gran Tannat Premium 2019 ($59) are grown in Altos de La Ballena where the soils are predominantly clay-loam with some calcareous material and have a gentle slope. In addition, the proximity to the River Plate provides maritime and estuary influence with mild and steady temperatures throughout the year. This Gran Tannat is an impressive wine made using classical production methods. Expect more black pepper; creamy red fruit, great depth, and juicy and approachable tannins.

Pisano Wines also shares a century of winemaking tradition - this time in Progreso in Canelones - and is operated by three Pisano brothers: Gustavo, the winemaker; Eduardo, the agronomist; and Daniel, the export manager. The family traces their heritage to Italian and Basque immigrants - this later from the group of people who introduced Tannat to Uruguay. Again like Montes Toscanini, the Pisano wines benefit from the Río de la Plata (River Plate) - an estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda.  The Pisano Reserva de la Familia Tannat 2018 ($24) is a fresh and well-rounded wine with light and chewy sour cherries that alternate with darker fruit and soft tannins. 

Alto de la Ballena is a small winery operating in the Sierra de la Ballena located just 15 kilometers from the Atlantic coast. The small 8-hectare estate vineyard benefits from the oceanic air as well as excellent drainage from the steep, granite, and schist hillside mountain soils. The winery's birth is dated at the Millenium when  Paula and Alvaro quit their finance jobs after spending the previous two years searching for the ideal vineyard location. They found that in the Maldonado department in the Oceanic region.  They showed an interesting wine in the Alto de la Ballena Tannat – Viognier 2018 ($24) - an 85-15% blend. They manage both lots so that they can be harvested very close together allowing for co-fermentation. The Viognier adds a more intense aroma and softens the Tannat's tannins creating a lovely wine. Still structured with juice acidity, some herbs, and juice and chewy sour cherries. 

Bodega Bouza is an innovative winery and the very first to plant Albariño in Latin America to incorporate the family's Spanish roots from Galicia. They also farm several other winegrapes in five vineyards from the metropolitan areas of Montevideo and Canelones to the oceanic-influenced Maldonado region. These are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Tempranillo, and Tannat. The last three comprise their Bouza Monte Vide Eu (Tempranillo - Merlot - Tannat) 2019 ($67) - a full-bodied and structured wine providing a robust mouthfeel. This is structured at 50% Tannat, 30% Merlot, and 20% Tempranillo and the grapes are vinified and initially aged separately then aged together for a total of up to 16 months in French and American oak barrels. This is an exceptional Oceanic wine. 

Basta Spirit was founded in 2018 and produces spirits using a Tannat base. The Basta Spirit Vermut Flores Rosé ($16) contains 27 botanicals, including flowers such as hops, chamomile, rose, and elderberry. It is extremely aromatic, with loads of herbaceousness and forest spiciness - very gin-like. I plan on using this in a Negroni, and replacing the gin with mezcal, since this Vermut has suitable gin flavors. 

New Perspectives on Wines of Uruguay

Last week the Uruguay Wine Fall Tour landed in Washington DC where 16 producers poured several wines each at  La Cosecha (voted one of America's Top 50 Best Wine Retailers in 2021). The tour was sponsored by Uruguay Wine, the brand used by INAVI - Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura to promote Uruguayan wine around the world. During a previous tasting almost a decade ago, the emphasis was strictly on Tannat -- introduced into Uruguay in 1870 by Basque immigrants and at the time had represented one-third of all wine produced in that country.  And yes, there were several single-varietal Tannat wines and Tannat-based blends poured at this event. However, I was more impressed by the emergence of other grape varietals and stylistic changes. 

Uruguay resides in the same parallels as its neighbors Argentina & Chile, but also South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The soils are mostly clay, there's plenty of sunshine, and the vineyards are primarily situated near the Rios de la Plata (across from Buenos Aires) or near the Atlantic Ocean. Think cool coastal breezes and balanced and structured wines. There's a relatively long wine-making tradition in the county as immigrants from Spain, Italy, and Germany brought their wine-making traditions and wine grapes with them. 

The first new trend I noticed was the expansion of Albariño. The grape was introduced into Uruguay by the Bouza Winery incorporating the family's Spanish roots from Galicia. They also farm several other winegrapes in five vineyards from the metropolitan areas of Montevideo and Canelones to the oceanic-influenced Maldonado region. These are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Tempranillo, and Tannat. The last three comprise their Mount Vide Eu - a full-bodied and structured wine providing a robust mouthfeel. Yet, it was their tropical fruit and saline-driven Albariño 2022 that piqued my interest in discovering who else was producing wines from this grape variety.

Bodega Garzon was the next station I visited and they poured a coastal and racy Albariño Reserve 2022 that featured grapefruit and refreshing acids and minerality.  In addition, their Pinot Noir Rosé 2022 was very provencal - elegant with layers of strawberries. 

Another excellent example was provided by Familia Deicas and their Atlantico Sur Albariño.  As the name suggests, the grapes are grown no further than 30 kilometers from the coast where the cooler temperatures allow for slow ripening and fresh wine. This version has similar acidity and saline as the Bouza but shows more floral and citrus notes.  Familia Deicas has been very innovative throughout the years by producing the first Sauternes-style noble rot wine in Uruguay, the first ISO 9001 Quality Certification in South America, the first Tannat Liqueur in Uruguay, the first Tannat produced according to the Bordeaux Cru Garage techniques in Uruguay, and many others.

Winemaker Santiago Deicas has continued this innovation through his  Bizarra Extravaganza brand. This project began in 2014 when he started making craft beer and inspiration from the purity of that beverage triggered the concept of producing natural wines. Two of these wines were presented at the tasting: the Vino Natural Amphora and Vino Natural Orange. The former is made from 100% Tannat and aged two months in Amphora and 10 months in concrete tanks. The latter is composed of Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng and is aged nine months in used French oak and concrete tanks. Both are truly unique with the Amphora showing fruit-forward Tannat.

Another fruit-forward innovative wine was the Pizzorno Maceracion Carbonica Tannat 2022. The wine was fermented using carbonic maceration in concrete tanks where, in a carbon dioxide-rich environment, most of the juice is fermented while still inside the grape. The resulting wine is low in tannins and showcases the grape's fruit - in this case, rich raspberries and cherries. The 4th generation at Pizzorno Family Estates also poured a very elegant Pinot Noir Reserve 2020 and a sturdy Tannat Reserve 2020 with the grapes from all of these wines grown in the country's largest wine region: Canelones. 

Another new perspective occurred while visiting the table for Bodega Cerro Chapeu. This 10th-generation family started producing wine in Catalonia in 1792 and in Uruguay in 1930. They are located in the Cerro Chapeu of the Rivera wine region which is located in northern Uruguay - very close to the Brazilian border.  This continental region is "characterized by its vineyards on the sides of hills and slopes, around 220 meters high, and its deep red sand soils with very good drainage and the seasons are drier with longer sun hours. Ideal for late-maturing varieties like Trebbiano and Malvasia. These are the grapes that form the Castel Pujol Folklore Pet Nat. The grapes are fermented separately and right before complete fermentation, they are blended and bottled. I was not expecting a fun wine like this. They also poured a delicious still version of the Pet Nat, the Castel Pujol Folklore Blanco, with plenty of fruitiness and surprisingly body. Finally, they continued to stretch traditional winemaking with the Castel Pujol Folklore Tinto -- 80% Tannat co-pigmentation with 20% Petit Manseng first press skins. What a mouthfeel. 

A similar co-fermentation occurred with Alto de la Ballena and their 2018 Tannat - Viognier Reserve. This is an 85% - 15% co-fermented blend aged for nine months in American oak barrels. The Viognier softens the Tannat and provides a pleasant floral aroma. This 20-year-old winery is located in the southeast and seaside region of Maldonado and also produces a luscious Cabernet Franc Reserve - silky and juicy in nature

Perhaps the most delicious Cabernet Franc was provided by Bracco Basca and their 2021 Cabernet Franc. Layers of dark cherries, structured, and a long satisfying tail. The winery was founded in 2005 by Darwin Bracco and Mirtha Bosca "but its vineyards have been in the family for 5 generations. Originally from Piedmont, Italy, the family moved to Uruguay and established in Atlántida region to continue the wine tradition".  This winery is also releasing several innovative products such as the first dry Muscatel in Uruguay as well as a Merlot - Ugni Blanc Claret. Fun, fantastic wines. 

Looking forward to visiting all these wineries in person one day. Cheers. 

The Unique Wines of Uruguay Tasting Tour 2013: Tannat and Whites Impress

Tannat is a red wine grape, historically grown in South West France in the Madiran AOC and is now one of the most prominent grapes in Uruguay, where it is considered the "national grape". - Wikipedia

Very prominent in Uruguay and to prove it, the Wines of Uruguay set out on The Unique Wines of Uruguay Tasting Tour 2013: "Fifteen of Wines of Uruguay's (WoU) member wineries will pour many of their finest wines in a 3-city, U.S. trade tasting tour in Washington, DC, Austin, and San Francisco. Each winery will pour up to six wines with an emphasis on Tannat."

I attended the Washington D.C. session and was immediately impressed with not only the quality of the wine but also the long wine making tradition in that country. Many of the families were immigrants from Spain and Italy, and as usually the case, brought their wine making tradition with them. And with no roadblocks such as Prohibition, many of these wineries have been operating for several generations.

Uruguay resides in the same parallels as its neighbors Argentina & Chile, but also South Africa, Australia, and New Zeland. The soils are mostly clay, there's plenty of sunshine,  and the vineyards are mostly situated near the Rios de la Plata (across from Beunos Aires) or the Atlantic Ocean - thus cool from coastal breezes. A perfect environment for producing balanced and structures wines.

Tannat was introduced into Uruguay in 1870 by Basque immigrants and now represents one third of all wine produced in that country. Tannat is normally ages at least one year in oak and sometime blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Sirah. However, I was not a huge fan of these blends, particularly the Tannat-Merlot blends. It seemed that the Merlot added some fruitiness but took away from the finish, making the tannins even softer which had the result of a a wine falling off the palette. However there were really no complaints of the single varietal Tannats. They were most likely red cherry flavor, with a chewy structure, and nice soft tannings - dripping down the throat. Since alcohol levels are generally low12-14%, there was never a hot finish.

There were several that soon became favorites. The Bodegas Carrau Ysern Tannat-Tannat is a blend from two different vineyards - one from the north, the other in the south. The northern vineyard contains more sandy soils leading to structured tannins, whereas the clay soils in the south produce a more rusty wine. Blended together, the wine gains the benefits of each soil type. The Bodega Garzon Reserva Tannat was very similar and I was very fond of the Gimenez Mendez Las Brujas Tannat. Bouza Bodega may have been the most interesting as the representative explained that in one vineyard, the winery stacks red colored rocks along the base of the vines in order to reflect even more sunlight to the grapes. The Tannat A8 wine from this vineyard was slightly smoky, full of dark cherry fruit and smooth tannins. Another smoky wine was the Toscanini Reserva Tannat, who also produced a nice entry level Tannat - the Classic Tannat 2011. Familia Irurtia's Grand Reserve Tannat was spicier than most, a very agreeable wine; as were the Narbona Tannat Luz de Luna, Traversa Vina Salort Tannat Roble, and Pizzorno Tannat Reserva.



As for non-Tannat reds, the most impressive was the Antigua Bodega Stagnari Prima Donna Cabernet Franc. This wine was creamy, chewable cherry balanced with smooth tannins and nice acids. Artesama offers a range of Zinfandel and a tasty Tannat-Zinfandel-Merlot blend. Both display that characteristic spicy flavor that prompted me to put Zinfandel back on the tasting calendar. Finally Gimenez Mendez produces the Alto Reserva Malbec that is similar to the Antigua Bodega Stagnari CF, my notes read chewy cherry smooth tannins, acidic finish - and only 13% alcohol.
 

What also impressed me was the quality of the few white wines. No consensus yet for the white version of Tannat such that there were a couple Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and even a Viognier and Marsanne. Some of these were produced perhaps because of the individual tasting preferences of the winery or  a linkage to their family history.  Regardless, they were all simply delicious and bargains (talking about $10-$15 when available in the U.S.).  Both Bouza and Garzon produced Albariño to honor the family's Spanish
 heritage.  Bodegas Carrau offers a heavy, but refreshing Sauvignon Blanc Sur Lie that oscillates between yeasty and lemongrass. Their Chardonnay is also a little grassy and with nice structure and acidity. The Gimenez Mendez Reserve Sauvignon Blanc was light, lemon sea-grass throughout and completely effervescent. The same can be said for both the Narbona and Toscanini Sauvignon Blancs.  All very tasty. Finally there was the Familia Irurtia Gran Reserva Viognier - with twelve months in oak - a deep buttery wine exuding floral aromas and nice acidity.  And staying regionally, De Lucca was pouring an excellent Marsanne Reserva.

All in all, a successful day or exploring and sampling wine from Uruguay. I have a completely new understanding of the country's wine-making tradition as well as it's vineyard geography.  I plan to continuing this learning process. Cheers.