• Basic info: Garzon Tannat Reserve, Uruguay, 2015.
• Type: Red
• Price estimate: $20 (from local wine store)
• Look: Deep, inky ruby color that sticks to the glass. Significant legs, probably high alcohol wine.
• Smell: Dark cherry fuit.
• Taste: Bitter on first sip. High tannin structure. Dark stone fruit, mineral and forest floor/leather.
• Conclusions: This is a wine I had to taste over two days to really assess. The first day, it was super strong and all I really got was bitter. The second day was better, with the fruit coming trough more, but I still didn’t care for it. This might be the textbook definition of a “big, bold” wine and I can see lots of people liking it, but I’m not really one of them. With some decanting, I can drink it with food, but it is not one that I’m going to have a full glass of, much less a second glass.
• Other notes: I think I’ve mentioned before that we belong to two wine clubs, one from Oregon where we get six bottles every six months, and one local wine club that is two bottles each month. This one of of the local wine club wines. I’m glad I tried it and it isn’t something I would ever pick up on my own, but I didn’t really like it. I found it bitter (but then again, I find broccoli bitter too) and thick. It paired ok with food and it was the first time I tried this varietal (or even heard of it) so that was something. When I did a little research, it turns out this varietal is known for the tannin structure – it is where the grape gets it’s name. If you like high tannin wines, you might like this, but this one was not for me.
• From the bottle: No tasting notes on the bottle, but from the wine store, “A juicy full bodied wine. Rich purple in color with very fresh aromas reminiscent of red and black fruits. A strong impression on the mouth with tannins and mineralogy that transform into a wine with great local soil identity.” 14.5% alcohol by volume.

Yes, that is Leia on the table. She hasn’t been feeling well lately and I don’t have the heart to kick her off unless we are eating. Poor kitty. But she does make the picture much more interesting.