Varietal: Â 100% Tannat
Region: Â Brazil
Cost: Â $13-15 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes:  On the nose, this wine has ripe black fruit, spices, mint and earthy notes. On the palate: strawberry, mint and dark cherry.
My Review: Â I’ve had relatively few wines from Brazil, not because I haven’t enjoyed the ones that I’ve tried, but because I just haven’t – not everything has to have a deeper meaning or reason. I have, however, had plenty of wines from South America, so when offered the chance to try something new from Brazil, I jumped at it.
While I like Tannat, I’ll admit it’s not a grape that I drink a lot of. This mostly has to do with most producers in Virginia, where until recently I lived, using it mostly as a blending grape, and not as a single varietal bottling.
The 2012 Salton Intenso Tannat was dark in the glass, and on the nose I didn’t get much in the way of aromas. Even after letting the bottle open for a while I mostly got dark fruit and some earth notes. In the mouth the wine was light and bright, showing flavors of strawberry and cherry, both of which lead to a nice smooth finish.
I’ll admit that this wine caught me off guard a bit. I think I was expecting a more rounded wine, and instead I what I got was something lighter that would go well with grilled meats or BBQ – perfect for the warm weather and grilling/cook-out season we’re about to fully enter.
For the the price (especially if you find it at the lower end) I like this wine, and it’s certainly one I would keep in mind for a cook-out at my house – it’s versatile enough to enjoy with food, but easy enough to sip on by itself while chatting with friends.
Editor’s Note: I received this wine as a free sample for review.
