Chateau d'Aydie Madiran 2009

Tannat as one would have it! Luscious Tannat whose pitch black soul is softened by a ripe vintage and a judicious duration in oak casks and at last here it is: dense dark fruit with a licorice sort of hackberry with an edgy lovage, blackberry, waxy skinned blueberries. Woodsy notes mix with chicory like roast coffee but not at all caramelized. This is what one gets from low yielding Tannat that comes from 30 year old vines. Tannat as it name suggests has more varied tannins than any other variety and if left to duke it out their cacophony rises to an awful din. The good Laplace family however knows just how to orchestrate these into a deep and powerful chorus. Fine silty tannins, bold warm and roasted tannins, tangy and toe tapping tannins, and structural bedrock sort of tannins. The only way such big wines can sustain all these is to have a broad enough breadth of fruit, layers of other flavors and a tension from its acidity. Looking for a bold red wine all its own? This is your wine. 14% abv
Wine review by Nicholas Livingston, November 2012

Expert Review

BEST BUY and a 92 score Wine Enthusiast
#36 in the Top 100 Best Buys:
"With the richness of the vintage, the natural tannins of Tannat are tamed by the welter of intense black fruits, sweet berries and Arabica coffee. The structure is exhibited in the dusty tannins under all the fruit." Roger Voss

Food Pairings

Serve at room temperature with game (stew pigeon, wild boar stew), duck, red meat (beef ribs...) or sheep cheeses of the Pyrenees.