What do Tannat wines taste like?

The 2018 La Tyre marks an evolution of the style, with a more velvety and fleshier texture with velvety tannins and racy acids. The bouquet, bright and fresh, gradually opens with aeration, and there are touches of blackcurrant, flowers, cherry, and iris aromas complemented by gently toasty notes. It will take time (10–20 years) for this racy thoroughbred to hit its stride. Bravo!

This is the fourth version of Garzón’s top wine, from a selection of vineyards bathed in Atlantic breezes. The blend is 40% Tannat, 34% Cabernet Franc, 18% Petit Verdot, plus Merlot and Marselan, aged for 20 months in untoasted French oak barrels. It’s full of fruit, but with herbal notes too, and sharp, fine tannins. An elegant and deep wine for ageing.

To obtain the firm structure of this Tannat, Deicas has ‘inverted’ the soil of its vineyard in Canelones, leaving bare the chalk-rich subsoil where these vines were planted. This gives the tannins a chalky feeling and there’s a nervous grip on the palate, surrounded by touches of herbs, flowers and ripe red fruit. A classic Canelones Tannat.

Monte Vide Eu has been produced since 2005 and this year it is 50% Tannat, 30% Merlot and 20% Tempranillo, from a selection of barrels. In keeping with the style of the house, this is succulent and expansive, generous in flavours of ripe black fruit, with notes of herbs and mint. The imposing but round tannins seem to fill the palate.

The clay and chalky soils and the Atlantic climate of the historic area of Las Violetas offer the most traditional versions of Uruguayan Tannat, such as this austere red that has been produced since 1998. The red and ripe fruit flavours blend gracefully with the herbal and flowery notes, and the acidity feels intense and sharp. One to keep for a decade.

The Coetzee family has been working this mixed regenerative farm at 1,000m altitude in Prieska since the mid 1900s, with vines planted about 20 years ago. They say livestock helps not only with the aeration of the soil but also with pruning. Planted on Kalahari red sand over limestone, this Tannat sings of its place with aromas of tea leaves, violets and fynbos. Soft and supple from 10 months' ageing in older oak, the palate bursts with black cherries and blackcurrants, trailing to a savoury finish with an appetising chew of tannins.

It boasts ripe dark fruits, chocolate, herbs and spice on the nose. Juicy and floral notes on the plate - fresh and vibrant in style. A spark in the finish with firm but ripe, almost polished tannins.. Impressive.

Powerful, dark, inky Tannat from the Moon Mountain District shows plenty of depth with some polish: ripe black plums, cocoa powder and dusty blackberries in the sunshine. While Tannat can show rusticity, this wine is polished to a shine with sappy blackberry, black cherry, and dark chocolate flavours. The palate shows plenty of structure to age, but the wine is undeniably approachable now.

All the ripeness of the vintage shines in this expressive Tannat. Berry-scented with notes of vanilla, the tannic, full-bodied palate manages restraint from lively acidity. Oak tannins on the long finish suggest a few more years of ageing will help it harmonise.

This blend takes a leap and sticks the landing with an unusual but successful Tannat and Cabernet Franc match-up. A nose of cinnamon, clove and vanilla testifies to extended oak ageing, yet ripe blackberry layered with savoury, meaty notes of olive and roasted portabella remain remarkably transparent—a bolt of acidity sheds across its darker, tannic corners.

From 25-year-old vines in the small Vale do Vinhedos DO in Serra Gaucha, this spends 11 months in new French oak. Intense nose of spicy black and blue berries, with savoury notes. The palate is big but well balanced; with fine tannins that support a persistent core of spicy black fruit, overlaid with meat and leather notes, plus some minty freshness on the finish. Needs food: perfect for steak. Will contnue to develop in bottle.

Made from vines surrounding the château, this approachable Madiran is robust, brooding and tannic enough to pair well with full-flavoured meat dishes, but has plenty of ripe dark fruit to balance the power. Ripe blackberry, plum and mulberry, well-integrated cedary oak, and a savoury edge. Firm but somehow smooth at the same time, a mix of traditional and modern, with a twist of black pepper on the finish.

Sappy blackberry aromas announce this wine from the Heath Family Estate in the Texas Hill Country. Blue fruits, smoke and turned earth are reflected in the palate, with flavours of tangy bramble berry, bay leaf, smoke and fresh, snappy acidity to finish.

Fortunately, Virginia growers had the foresight to plant Tannat if recent tastings serve as an indicator of the variety’s future. It’s from 2017 yet maintains a vivacious nose of black fruits and plums tossed with baking spice. Good energy and a cool freshness give lift and edge to the full-bodied, tannic structure—a delight to taste.