You want to get to know the Tannat grape?
Start with a bottle of Chateau Montus - the OG of Tannat :
Chateau Montus 2017 Madiran
The Written Part ...
An 80% Tannat with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon – taking up a 35 hectares of the 37 hectare Montus vineyard. Vine age is about 27 years. Fermentation and maceration follow what happens at Boucassé (see above). Here 50% of the wine sees new oak for 12 months. Then 24 months in 80 hectoliter foudre (large barrels). 36 months of aging the wine rests in bottle 2 years before release.
The note … Weighty wine with lots
of smoky, gritty tannin grip. Floral with good acidity; the fruit either
lingers or has decided to hide within the oak – each sip holds a
different outcome. It'll take time to emerge, but this oak will always
be there. It's an intense wine where food needs to be involved. (****)
