The Wine Company

Wine

Don Rodolfo Tannat 2017

Tannat is historically grown in South West France where it is the principle variety in Madiran. It is now also the most prominent grape in Uruguay, but we haven’t found any that we want to import yet though the style in more friendly than when grown in France. That said we are seeing the savage Tannat being tamed and that is a good thing. We are all for typicity but draw the line at being accosted. I still have the bruises from early forays into Madiran looking for the wines touted in old cookbooks and by idiosyncratic chefs as the ideal wine with Cassoulet of which I am a big fan. Why “savage” Tannat? The wine can be and until recently was harsh and unyielding with tannins enough to tan hides. Decanting these wines a scary amount of time before serving was the only way to see past the tannins. So what has changed? Blending with other varietals to soften the wine and, most beneficially, the development of micro-oxygenation. Micro-oxygenation introduces controlled amounts of oxygen into the wine during and after fermentation. The effect is to simulate the positive aspects of extended barrel aging. This has led, in the best of cases and we offer some of those, to lovely substantial wines with black raspberry, smoked meats and anise nuances.

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