Giménez Méndez Alta Reserva Tannat

How much do you know about Uruguay? I have to admit, until recently I didn’t know much about Uruguay, other than the fact that it’s a small country on the Atlantic coast of South America, south of Brazil.

One of the side effects of being a wine geek, who loves to try wine from different regions, is I get opportunities and motivation to further educate myself on the geography, culture, climate, grapes, and more of those regions. Hence, I now know a little bit more (although still not a lot) about Uruguay.

The country is not only south of Brazil, but is also bordered by Argentina. And while there are many other wine producing regions in South America, the wine regions in Uruguay are the only ones in South America to be influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. The climate and the soils here are significantly different from other South American wine regions, so don’t make the mistake of assuming wines from Uruguay would be similar to those from other South American wine regions. After all, such an assumption would be as foolish as assuming the wines of Germany are similar to the wines of Italy because both are in Europe!

The land mass of Uruguay is about the same size of the state of Wisconsin, but with fewer than 3.5 million residents it is less populated than Wisconsin. At least it’s less populated when it comes to people. Cows are a different story. Cows outnumber people 4 to 1 in Uruguay and the residents there eat more meat per capita than any other country in the world.

What goes well with beef? Big, bold red wines, that’s what. In Uruguay, the big, bold red wine is Tannat — the most widely planted grape variety in the country. Tannat is to Uruguay what Malbec is to Argentina.

Originally hailing from the Madiran region of France, Tannat has found a new home in Uruguay, where it’s thriving in the warm and sunny climate.

But Tannat isn’t just about the location, it’s about the taste too. This grape variety is known for its deep color, high tannin content, and robust flavor. Although it’s produced in different styles, the wine is typically full-bodied and has a strong, assertive taste, characterized by dark fruit flavors such as black cherry and blackberry, along with notes of chocolate, coffee, and spice.

Tannat also has a secret superpower: it’s packed with resveratrol, a natural compound that’s believed by some to have numerous health benefits, although there are certainly many naysayers to those claims. Nonetheless, if you’re interested in finding a wine with high levels of resveratrol, Tannat is a good choice.

The name, Tannat, is similar to the word tannin. And I don’t think that’s an accident. Tannins are bitter and astringent compounds found in grapes, as well as other plants, and give wine an astringent quality. Tannat tends to have high levels of tannins. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. Good because those tannins add structure that helps wine age well and add body to the mouth feel. But too much tannin can make a wine overwhelmingly bitter and astringent, particularly when young. That said, Tannat from Uruguay tends to have lower levels of tannins than those from many other regions. This makes Uruguayan Tannat a little bit lighter and more approachable.

Another interesting fact about Tannat from Uruguay is that it is typically made using sustainable and organic farming practices. Most of the vineyards and wineries are small, family-run operations and over 50% of harvesting is done by hand.

Giménez Méndez Alta Reserva Tannat

The Tannat I’m tasting today comes from Giménez Méndez in the Canelones wine region, which is in the southern part of Uruguay, northeast of the capital city, Montevideo. This is a family-run winery that was established in 1950. Their Alta Reserva Tannat is one of a few different Tannat wines they produce, and is a great example of Uruguayan Tannat. With a suggested retail price of $18, the value from this wine is off the charts!

Tasting Notes

This wine has rich, concentrated aromas that remind me of blueberry pie. It has intense blueberry and blackberry fruit aromas, as well as baking spice, vanilla and toasted oak notes. The palate delivers concentrated blackberry, cassis, blueberry and chocolate flavors with a silky mouthfeel. The acidity is sufficient to bring a brightness to the wine. It finishes long, with those rich berry flavors lingering for some time.

Wine: Giménez Méndez Alta Reserva Tannat
Varieties: 100% Tannat
Vintage: 2020
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 88
Average price: $18.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.