Bodega Garzon Tannat Reserva

Bodega Garzon is a family-owned winery in Maldonado on the Atlantic coast in southern Uruguay. They pioneered viticulture in this area over 10 years ago, and have since become the standard-bearer for premium wines from Uruguay. In November 2018, their pioneering status was recognised by Wine Enthusiast with the "New World Winery of the Year" award.

In 2007, owner Alejandro Bulgheroni invited consultant winemaker Alberto Antonini to visit his 700 hectare olive farm situated between the small town of Garzon and the beach. With stunning views, rolling hills and olive trees, Alberto was taken aback by its beauty, likening it to his native Tuscany. Following proper analysis of the soil and conditions, it became clear that this site had huge potential to produce premium wines. Originally they planted Tannat (Uruguay's flagship variety) and Albarino, as Alberto identified clear similarities between Galicia and Garzon in terms of the cooling Atlantic breezes and well-draining granitic soils. Over the past 10 years, these rolling hills have been planted with olive groves and vineyards, with 12 grape varieties now planted on the estate. It is a patchwork quilt of 1,150 individual plots of around 0.2 hectares in size, each plot carefully chosen for a specific variety according to its soil and microclimate.

Alberto has a light hand in the winery and is very careful with the use of oak. As with his other projects around the world, he has moved away from barriques in favour of concrete fermenters and large, untoasted oak. He does this in order to produce pure expressions of variety and place and to avoid masking the character of his wines. The winery is specially designed to operate as sustainably as possible and is the first winery outside North America to pursue LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Built on natural terraces, the winery uses cutting edge technology and operates using a gravity flow system to ensure quality and energy efficiency at every stage of production. Given the spectacular winery and stunning landscape, the on-site Francis Mallmann restaurant and proximity to Punta del Este, Uruguay's most popular resort, it was no surprise that Garzon came in at number two at the IWC-sponsored World's Best Vineyards Awards in 2019, as voted by over 500 wine industry experts.

Tannat,

Located 11 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, the estate has more than 1,000 small vineyard blocks covering hillside slopes, which benefit from varying microclimates, different levels of humidity and an intense canopy management. Well-draining granitic soils and cooling Atlantic breezes allow the grapes to ripen steadily. The vineyards are surrounded by lush forests, palm trees, rocky soils and granite boulders.

The hand-harvested grapes were macerated on their skins for five days before fermentation in large 150 hectolitre cement tanks at 26-28ºC for one week with twice daily pump overs. The wine was then aged on lees for 6-12 months in a combination of second-use French 225 litre oak barrels and 25 hectolitre casks. The oak used was a mixture of untoasted and lightly-toasted wood.

Recognizable by the intense deep purple colour, the Tannat Reserva shows black plum, juicy blackberry, and a hint of spices on the nose. The palate is full-bodied with an elegant structure which is complimented by ripe tannins and a balanced acidity.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight on the Red Wines of the America’s Blog

Hands up who has tried wine from Uruguay? Probably not that many people in the UK. Uruguay has been producing wine for over 250 years but until the last few decades, it was all drunk domestically. Exports from Uruguay are growing steadily, this is not the rapid cascade of growth that Chile and Argentina enjoyed but neither has the market been flooded with lower end wines instead focusing on quality.

Bodegas Garzon is arguably Uruguay’s winery with the largest global presence. Before embarking on a journey in wine, Garzon’s owner, Alejandro Bulgheroni, invited consultant winemaker, Alberto Antonini, to his 700 hectare olive farm to judge the suitability of the land for viticulture. If the name Alberto Antonini sounds familiar, you may remember this is one of the founders of Altos Las Hormigas in Argentina mentioned earlier! Alberto was reportedly stunned with how similar the climate and landscape was in this corner the Maldonado province compared to his native Tuscany. The question of suitability of the land for planting to the vine was of course, a resounding yes! Following proper analysis of the soil and conditions, it became clear that this site had huge potential to produce premium wines. Fast forward to November 2018, Bodegas Garzon was recognised by Wine Enthusiast Magazine with the "New World Winery of the Year" award.

What better introduction to Uruguayan wine than a top producer and one of their wines made with what has become Uruguay’s national red grape, Tannat. Originating in the Southwest of France, like so many other Latin American grapes, Tannat’s original home is little known region in the foot hills of the Pyrenees called Madiran. Tannat gets its name because the tiny, thick-skinned berries with their heavily pigmented skins create such a tannic wine, deep, dark, dry and rustic. So powerful is a lot of Tannat grown in its native region, that it cannot be drunk for 10 years or so after the vintage to give time the opportunity to soften the tannins present.

The Tannat vines growing in the Americas are subtly (but noticeably) different from those found in modern-day French vineyards. This is because the oldest of them are direct descendants of the pre-phylloxera cuttings taken across the Atlantic in the 19th Century. The effect of this is that Uruguayan Tannat is slightly lower in the tannins for which Madiran has long been known, the still ample tannins are also a lot riper and have a more velvety quality than those found in France.

Built on natural terraces, the winery uses cutting edge technology and operates using a gravity flow system to ensure quality and energy efficiency at every stage of production. Alberto has a light hand in the winery and is very careful with the use of oak. As with his other projects around the world, he has moved away from barriques in favour of concrete fermenters and large, untoasted oak.

The Bodegas Garzon Tannat has the classic intense, deep purple colour that is so typical of the varietal. The flavours are massive and all encompassing, beckoning you to dive into the glass, black plum, juicy blackberry, and a hint of spices, full-bodied and well structured with ripe tannins of pure velvet and a balanced acidity.

People in the UK often think of Malbec as the ultimate wine to pair with beefy proteins, fuelled by Latin grill house restaurants such as Gaucho, Fazenda and Estabulo. Malbec is of course great, but have you tried a Tannat with your T-Bone? Give it a go, pure decadent perfection! For the best results, salt your beef the day before and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight, set your oven to the lowest temperature you can and slow cook for 40ish minutes, remove when the internal temperature hits 50 degrees Celsius, then reverse sear over BBQ coals, thank me later.