Estate: In 2007, billionaire Alejandro Bulgheroni and his wife Bettina fell in love with the rolling hills of Garzon, a town named after Eugenio Garzon. A Uruguayan soldier and statesman who fought for Uruguay’s independence from Brazil. They brought in Alberto Antonini, an Italian winemaker and viticulturist known for his expertise in terroir-driven wines. He meticulously analyzed the soil and microclimates, dividing the estate into a patchwork of over 1,000 individual vineyard blocks and planting 32 different grape varieties. Garzon opened its state-of-the-art facility in 2017. Built on natural terraces to utilize a gravity-fed system, minimizing the need for pumps. This gentle handling of the grapes ensures that the wine maintains its integrity from harvest to bottle.
Grape: Tannat was one of the first grapes planted at the estate and the vines are 14-16 years old. The plots are on hillsides with rocky soils with exposed granite for ideal drainage. Tannat is a teinturier grape which means its pulp is red too. Tannat has the highest levels of resveratrol. A naturally occurring polyphenol found in grape skins that has been heavily studied for its heart-healthy and anti-aging properties.
Production: The grapes are hand harvested over a week in 3 waves to ensure ideal ripeness. Fermentation happens in Garzon’s patented cement tulips over 10-12 days. The wine is transferred to French oak barrels where it rests for another 6-8 months before bottling.
Taste: The first thing that I notice is the depth of color and when you swirl the wine it leaves a shear curtain on your glass. Bold and luxurious with a robust nose of dark chocolate, plums, licorice, baking spices and a wild berry compote. The palate is heavy with lots of fruit tannins that you can feel dying your gums purple. While dense, the wine does have some acidity on the finish for balance.
Food: Tannins bind to animal fats and proteins so wines that have a lot of tannin naturally pair with well marbled red meats and protein packed game animals. For this wine I want a grilled ribeye steak with a blue cheese sauce. The acid in the cheese helps bring lift to the meal and while its umami melds with savory notes of the steak and wine.
