The Ninja and I decided a while back to to implement a Wacky Grape Wednesday, as a way to encourage us step out of our comfort zones and try new grape varietals. A few weeks back, I wrote about a tale of two Tannats, a varietal that I hadn’t had much of. While this grape isn’t all that “Wacky” in Virginia, It’s a unique and delicious enough grape for me to want to get to know it a little bit more. It was clearly wacky enough for the Total WIne associate, who was blown away when I asked for a Uruguayan Tannat, a question she said she doesn’t get very often.
Immediately upon opening, the bouquet of the Pisano Reserve 2008 Tannat was almost reminiscent of a California Cabernet. However, even a few minutes after opening, it all changes and the nose really reminded me of the Chilean wines that Mrs. Wino and I fell in love with during a trip there a few years ago. We both found the nose to be leathery with blackberry notes, which morphed into raspberry. I noted a hint of lavender, but she didn’t.
The first sip, was a completely different story. It was SO dry and chalky that the flavors were indistinguishable, honestly. We finished our glasses, but couldn’t pour another. We opened this on a Monday evening, and revisited it the next day, hoping it had “cálmate-d;” Luckily it had, and it was much more enjoyable. Moral of the story, decant.
I like Tannat. So far, the Delaplane Tannat still reigns supreme over the Pisano. However, I like this grape, and the Pisano enough to actively seek out Tannat bottlings of other producers, both in Virginia and Uruguay.
