Tannat is a grape that is a bit under appreciated in the wine world. That’s too bad because it makes some great single varietals as well as some great blends - and that’s what I’m going to write about today.

Tannat comes from the Basque region on the border between France and Spain and is famous for making dark, bold, rustic wines. Tannat is especially well know in the Madiran area of France and in some other areas of South West France. It is often blended with either Cab Franc or Cab Sauv.

In South America it is grown in several countries including Peru, Argentina, and Brazil but it is by far grown the most in Uruguay. The Tannat grow in South America tends to be a little less tannic than French Tannat.

I have had a few Tannat wines on their own and I truly enjoy the power behind this grape, but for the two tastings I recently did, we focused on Tannat blends - one from the Madiran area of France and one from Uruguay.

The first one we tried was a 2015Chateau Peyros($28) from the Madiran area of France. This is a 60% Tannat/40% Cab Franc blend aged for 12 months in 25% oak barrels. Fun fact, the word Peyrosmeans 'stony place' in the Gascony language.

Appearance: Clear, medium ruby with some garnet on the rim.

Nose: Clean, medium plus intensity with aromas of eucalyptus (sort of like a mild Vicks Vaporub), blackberry, blueberry, plum, green pepper, black pepper, cedar, tobacco, charred wood, leather, forest floor.

Palate: Medium intensity of flavour, dry, medium plus acidity, medium plus tannins, medium alcohol, medium body and a medium minus finish. It was a little thin at first without too much fruit and had flavours of blueberry, plum, cedar, tobacco, charred wood, leather, earth (meaning dirt), tar, and coffee.

Evaluation: I found this wine a bit too acidic and too tannic on the palate without very much fruit to take it anywhere. The length was just Ok, but it did have strong flavour intensity. The complexity was OK but it was missing a lot of the aromas that initially had me a bit excited. However, when I had it with food - it was a different story! With a nice strong cheddar to cut through the acidity and tannins, this wine was actually quite nice! With that in mind, I gave it a rating of Good.

The second Tannat blend was a 2018 Bodega Garzon Cab Franc Tannat from Uruguay. I'm not sure if it was quite fair to compare this wine to the last as this is an 80% Cab Franc/20% Tannat blend but, for $19.50 (on sale at BC Liquor right now), I was pretty happy with this one. By the way, Garzon also makes a straight Tannat which I have enjoyed before.

Appearance: Clear, deep ruby with garnet on the edge.

Nose: Clean, medium plus intensity, with aromas of dark fruit and spice such as blueberry, blackberry, cedar, tobacco, pencil shavings, eucalyptus, pepper, cloves, charred wood, and leather. Overall, not a ton of fruit on the nose but an enjoyable aroma.

Palate: Medium plus flavour intensity, dry, medium acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol, medium plus body, medium finish with flavours of blueberry, blackberry, tobacco, cedar, pepper, charred wood, toast.

Evaluation: This was a balanced wine with OK length, strong flavour intensity, and complex flavours. Interestingly, it was a bit delicate in flavour so it would pair well with duck, chicken, sausages and a host of other food. The crackers I had were a great match but the strong cheddar was a bit too much for this wine. With the right food, this wine just sings! I rated this wine Very Good.

A quick note on ratings - rather than use some meaningless 100 point scale where crappy wines score in the low 80s, I use the scale that I learned when doing my WSET - Poor, Adequate, Good, Very Good, and Outstanding.

So, you may be wondering, who does Tannat in the Okanagan? According the the BC Wine Centre (and my own investigations), Moon Curser has a Tannat single varietal and a blend with Syrah called Dead of the Night ($47), which I’ve tried and is a very good wine.

This summer, why not book a tour with me at Wine and Then Somm Wine Tours? I would be happy to meet you in Kelowna or Penticton and take you, in the comfort of your own vehicle, down to the Southern Okanagan to try Tannat - and some other wonderful Okanagan wines! Book today!