2009 Tannat

Production Notes

The 2009 Tablas Creek Vineyard Tannat is Tablas Creek’s eighth 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 2009 vintage was our third consecutive drought year, with yields further reduced by April frosts. Berries and clusters were small, with excellent concentration. Ripening over the summer was gradual and our harvest largely complete except for about half our Mourvèdre at the time of a major rainstorm on October 13th. Crop sizes were 15% smaller than 2008 and 30% lower than usual. The low yields and gradual ripening resulted in wines with an appealing lushness, rich texture and wonderful chalky tannins. Our Tannat was harvested between October 14th and 18th.

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 2011.

Tasting Notes

The 2009 Tannat shows a dense purple-black color and has a nose of blue and black fruit, mineral, smoke, game herbs (sage and juniper), and spice. 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

  • 90% Tannat
  • 10% Cabernet

Technical Notes

  • 14.5% Alcohol by Volume
  • 250 Cases Produced

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