2008 Tannat

Production Notes

The 2008 Tablas Creek Vineyard Tannat is Tablas Creek’s seventh bottling of this traditional varietal from South-West France, known principally in the Pyrenees foothills appellation of Madiran, but originally native to the Basque region. The Tannat grape has intense fruit, spice, and tannins that produce wines capable of long aging, and it is traditionally blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc.

When we imported our Châteauneuf du Pape clones, the Perrins’ French nurseryman included the Tannat because he believed it would thrive in the rocky limestone soils of Paso Robles. We have planted just under an acre of Tannat, and it has indeed thrived here.

Our Tannat grapes are grown on our 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.

The 2008 vintage was our second consecutive drought vintage, with low yields, cool-climate characteristics, and a persistent elegance across both whites and reds. A late spring and moderate summer combined with beautiful harvest weather to produce gradual ripening and red wines that were unusually fresh and approachable despite appealing lushness. Our Tannat was harvested on October 9th and 10th.

The Tannat grapes were destemmed and fermented using native yeasts. The wine was then moved to small barrels where they were aged for 18 months. The wine was bottled in May of 2010, and we aged it in bottle before releasing it in October.

Tasting Notes

The 2008 Tannat shows a dense purple-black color and has a nose of blue and black fruit, mineral, smoke, game herbs (sage and juniper), and iodine. The rich palate has flavors of black cherry, smoked meat, and bittersweet chocolate with big but ripe tannins, and a long, smoky, generous finish. We believe that it will drink well for a decade or more.

Reviews

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Recipe Suggestions

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Food Pairings

  • Game stews
  • Pepper steak
  • Szechuan beef
  • Duck breast
Tannat

Not Available for Purchase

Blend

  • 100% Tannat

Technical Notes

  • 14.8% Alcohol by Volume
  • 360 Cases Produced

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