Alto De La Ballena - Reserva Tannat 2018 (750ml)

 

Price: $24.99

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Producer Alto De La Ballena
Country Uruguay
Varietal Tannat Viognier Blend
Vintage 2018
Sku 210000000433
Size 750ml

Alto De La Ballena - Reserva 2018 

Alto De La Ballena Description

We recently discovered a red wine (and I know that this is maybe an overused expression) that “blew us away.”  First and foremost the wine is flat out delicious.  And more to the point… completely unexpected!  A wine from Uruguay?  The varietal Tannat?  Are you kidding me?  
 
Wines from Argentina and Chile are certainly mainstays in our market.  Uruguay is a distant fourth in South American wine production.  But over the last decade, their wines have begun to emerge from the shadows.  Tannat is a varietal that came across from French Basque country.  It is the key grape in the production of Madiran wines.  Wines noted for their austerity and rustic character.  But in this wine, the vintners have taken a page from the producers of the Northern Rhône who add Viognier (a white varietal) to their Syrah to make the wonderfully complex wines of Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie.  The result here?  A red wine that is beautifully balanced, and nothing like the "hard as nails" wines I've had from France.

Alto de la Ballena winery is the modern-day pioneer of Maldonado and, although boutique in nature, it is still one of the region’s leading producers. Husband and wife Álvaro and Paula switched from the world of finance to the world of wine relocating from Montevideo to Sierra de la Ballena, a whale watching spot just a few kilometres from the sea, in 2000. The steep, granite and schist hillsides where their 8ha of vines are planted provide characterful terroir for their smooth, fresh and vibrant wines.  This is the flagship wine for the Estate; the Viognier gives a rich yet elegant bouquet and tames Tannat’s natural vigour. The Viognier was fermented in new French barriques. After two days of cold maceration, the Tannat was fermented in stainless steel tanks under controlled temperature. After the blend was made, the wine was aged for nine months in a combination of new American and French barrels. An elegant nose comprised of cedar, vanilla, tobacco, dried plum and cherry aromas offers a clear window into this alert blend of 85% Tannat and 15% Viognier. Flavors of black cherry, coffee and dried baking spices finish nicely on a contained, lightly oaked finish.


 

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