Garzon Tannat Reserva, Bodega Garzon

Description

Garzon Tannat Reserva is made by Bodega Garzon (founded in 2000) in the Maldonado wine-growing region of Uruguay. Uruguay is still a very little know wine producing country in the UK but, like Chile and Argentina, wine has been produced there for a few hundred years. Like Malbec, the Tannat grape variety was taken to South America from France in the late 1800s. In fact it was a Basque, Don Pascual Harriague, who introduced it in 1870. It has since become Uruguay’s “signature” grape variety. In France it is most closely associated with the Madiran wine-growing appellation. In South America Tannat wines tend to be riper, more opulent and plumper than their French cousins.

Garzon Tannat Reserva is made under the supervision of Italian wine consultant Alberto Antonini. Bodega Garzon is located in the village of Garzon, a small village of around 600 inhabitants, just 11 miles from the Atlantic coast and the estate is split between wine production and cultivation of olive trees. The region shares the same latitude as New Zealand and is therefore it is most suited to cool climate varieties (as well as Tannat, Albarino, originally from Galicia, is common). Garzon’s terroir and the cooling Atlantic breezes temper the high summer temperatures producing complex and elegance wines from riper grapes with a long ripening season.

100% Tannat grapes were handpicked and sorted carefully in the winery before being gently crushed and fermented on the lees. The wine is then aged for 12 to 16 months on its lees in untoasted French oak barrels and casks (bottis), this produces a subtle oak influence.

The winemaker is Germán Bruzzone.