2021 Tannat

Gorgeous, saturated purple color in the glass as Tannat is wont to provide, but oddly enough this is all Bordeaux on the nose, with black currant and mulberry fruit, accented by tobacco and cedary oak. Tannat is typically a bit of a bruiser—tannin is right there in the name—possessing a combination of structure and acidity that makes the wines exceptionally long-lived but often decidedly unfriendly in youth. Fortunately, that is in no way the case here, four years of age having already tamed the tannins just enough to make the wine accessible and even indulgent. On the palate the wine is all plum and graphite, with a dusty cocoa note repeating on the long, pleasantly grippy finish. This is in a sublime place right now if you prefer a bolder style, but it also absolutely has the bones to go the distance over the next five to seven years. When the time comes, serve it with some lamb, preferably a crown roast so you can eat it with your fingers. Tannat just brings out the animal in all of us