Grape Variety: Tannat

Colour: Red

Tannat is normally found in the Basque-influenced regions of France near the Pyrénées. The wine is notable for its very high tannin levels and is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc and Fer to soften the astringency and make it more approachable. In addition to Madiran, Tannat is also produced in Irouléguy, Tursan and Béarn. Modern winemaking in the region has begun to emphasize the fruit more and utilize oak aging to help soften the tannins. Now the wines typically spend about twenty months in oak prior to release.

A French Tannat is characterized by its firm, tannic structure with raspberry aromas and the ability to age well. They often have a deep dark color with high level of alcohol. The rosés produced in Irouléguy go through very limited maceration time with the skins in order to keep the wines from getting too tannic. The resulting wines are typically full bodied and very fruity. In Béarn both red and rosés are produced from blends that include 60% Tannat and a 40% mix of Manseng noir, Fer and Courbu noir.

In 1990, Madiran winemaker Patrick Ducournau experimented with adding controlled amounts of oxygen aeration into Tannat while fermenting and ended up developing the modern winemaking process of micro-oxygenation.

The Madiran Haute Tradition from Didier Barre (Domaine Berthoumieu) is a pugnacious vin de terroir, a rustic tangle of humus and farmyard aromas, flavours of dark cherries, figs and pepper, a blend of Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinenc (Fer Servadou), whilst the award-garnering Charles de Batz is oak-aged, made from 90+% Tannat and 40-100 year old vines is purple-black in colour and could probably age forever, a veritable vin de garde.

Tanatis, from the same estate, is the result of the late, late Tannat show. Raisined grapes, bulging with sugar, are picked in November and “muted” to give this soi-disant vin de liqueur, a Gascon take on Banyuls or Port, aromas of bitter-sweet cherries and prunes. Indeed the very fine estate of Quinta de la Rosa was the inspiration for this extraordinary wine. Hmm – from d’Artagnan to Portos (lousy pun). The velvet, chocolate texture in the mouth is offset by an echo of tannin – this wine would go beautifully with cheese.

Alain Brumont is the man who, in effect, redefined Madiran in the 1980s and 1990s and resurrected its reputation. Although he now makes a wide range of wines we are chiefly concerned with those bottled under the Chateau Bouscassé and Chateau Montus labels. Brumont is a strong advocate of the Tannat grape and using new oak to age the wines. Different types of oak give different accents to the wine. He also believes in terroir – indeed he has compared Maumusson to the Napa Valley. And is he a perfectionist. Let him lead you on a tour of his estate as he indicates the finer points of red soil and galet stones and something called “Grebb” or “Grip” (also known picturesquely as eye of the goat), granules and pebbles strengthened with iron and manganese oxide resulting from glacial alluvials from the Pyrenees. He even grades his organic manure into different vintages. The reds are predictably massive and backward when young like embryonic clarets (but what claret!) but with age the oak will mellow and support the Tannat, creating a profound wine. If the Montus wines are more polished, then the Bouscassé is the more terroir-driven and wilder with the classic nose of “bois et sous-bois” and hencoop. For reference the Montus Prestige and the Bouscassé vieilles vignes are 100% Tannat, low yields, hand-picked (mais, naturellement), no filtering or fining. The straight Bouscassé and Montus contain some Cab Sauv and/or Cab Franc for light relief.

The wines of Irouleguy are rustic but less intense and powerful than those of Madiran. The red Mignaberry (the name means “old vines”), from the Caves du Pays Basque, aged twelve months in barrel, is dark, structured and very pure, all morello cherries and spice, with all the wonderful digestibility of wines from this region. The proportion of Tannat (about 80%) is very high for this appellation. Savoury aromatic nose of fern, humus and warm gravel, elegant medium-bodied palate, ripe fruity finish. Similar in style to a really good Graves from Bordeaux. Good with ossau iraty, the local ewe’s cheese, admirable with roast pork or pot au feu.

Domaine Arrrextea is a biodynamic estate. Michel and Therese Riouspeyrous make two cuvees of Irouleguy. These Tannat-rich reds with their 4-5 week macerations, repeated pigeages and long elevage in oak with lees-stirring make for strong yet harmonious wines. The ripeness of the grapes emerges in crystallised black fruit scents & a full palate perfectly structured by tasty tannins.

According to Professor Roger Corder the polyphenolic Tannat grape is especially high in procyanidins and it is the region of the Gers that the French Paradox is at its most obvious. Discuss!