Tannat may be a varietal you have never heard of, it is really not very common at all in California, but it is something you probably want to try if you like black fruit, and bolder red wines. Think rich Bourdeaux’s or Petite Syrah, or very big GSM. I don’t have a lot of experience with it, as it is not a Rhone varietal and it simply hard to find (locally in Northern California). And my most favored wineries do not make it, aside from Tablas Creek. It is from the southwest of France, more the Basque region. How does it do in the Americas. Well I have seen Tannat from South America(Uruguay mostly), Texas, Oregon, Virginia and areas here in California as well. The typical wine growing areas of California, but it seems most often a Paso Robles varietal scanning through hundreds of offerings inside of California on WE. There are 566 acres of Tannat planted within California’s borders. That is a pretty good number, so in the south state you are lucky, it is far more common there. Tannat’s acreage is pretty good, compare it with 1,175 acres of Mourvedre and 92,000 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. If you can find Mourvedre, and I’ve shown you how, you can definitely find Tannat.
What does it taste like? It is full of exciting aromas of mostly black fruits, palate power like licorice are often present. Even a 13% ABV Tannat can feel powerful in the mouth. This varietal packs a lot of polyphenals, which generate the flavors in wine. A complex wine that has 3 or more unique flavors in it is always more exciting than a drab wine, and Tannat has serious aging potential because it is often packed with tannins. I have only had 2 California grown Tannats in my life but I wish to have many more. I always look for it whenever I go to a new wine tasting venue or event.
Where can you access some excellent Tannat? Well Wine Enthusiast wrote a fantastic article on their favorite Tannats. As you can see Uruguay is a powerhouse in this grape with some 94 point Tannat on the list. So with that article and access to many online resources now for wine buying you can get some good Tannat wine very easily. Start with something good at least 90 points and you will be on your way.
How about the best wineries in El Dorado County and the Sierra Foothills, here it is tougher to find Tannat. I am literally going to give you access to a Texas based winery that has more Tannat’s than you may find in an entire wine region of California. Bending Branch has about 10+ Tannat renditions, and they have won many points and awards for their Tannats. Wineries that will give you Tannat inside of El Dorado County are Starfield, very close to Placerville, and Windwalker out in Fair Play (El Dorado County). Here are the links to the wineries below.
+_Windwalker Vineyard
+ Starfield Winery (which also produces a Marsanne varietal)
+ Ursa Vineyards (Placerville, CA) and Bending Branch Winery (Texas) – Shop Tannat
I have not tried the bottom two, but I have tasted the Tannat from Windwalker and it was a motivator. I like the Shadow Ranch’s Tannat as well the latest 2022 is quite good. Lots of blackberry. I think the winning wineries for Tannat know not to press this wine too extra hard if it is a bit lighter than 14.5% and super deeply colored it has nice elegant aromas. Like I said I am no Tannat expert but the grape has potential in many parts of the USA, and is growing in popularity in Texas, Virginia and the Paso Robles region of California. Here in Northern California and Southern Oregon, it gets a bit scarce, but Rhone Ranger high achiever Troon comes through. Going Troon for you Rogue Valley folks is a no brainer, but if you live in a Tannat desert, solve that by considering a Uruguay based Tannat. The national wine grape of Uruguay. It is how I got started with this most interesting grape and anyone, anywhere reading this blog can find a Uruguayian Tannat, they try to export this varietal as their pride and joy.