2013 Tannat
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The Tablas Creek Vineyard 2013 Tannat is Tablas Creek’s eleventh bottling of this traditional varietal from South-West France, known principally in the Pyrenees foothills appellation of Madiran, but originally native to the Basque region. The Tannat grape has intense fruit, spice, and tannins that produce wines capable of long aging, and it is traditionally blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc.
Tasting Notes
The 2013 Tannat shows a dense purple-black color and has a nose of black fruit, crushed rocks, iron, smoke, herbs and black pepper. The palate is generous and chewy with flavors of black cherry, smoked meat and baker's chocolate, all with a lingering iron-like minerality bringing lift to the big but ripe tannins on the finish. We believe that it will drink well for a decade or more.
Updated tasting notes from a January 2023 vertical tasting can be found on the Tablas Creek blog.
Technical Details
Appellation
- Adelaida District Paso Robles
Technical Notes
- 14.2% Alcohol by Volume
- 700 Cases Produced
Blend
- 100% Tannat
Recipes & Pairings
Recipe Suggestions
Production Notes
When we imported our Châteauneuf du Pape clones, the Perrins’ French nurseryman included Tannat cuttings because he believed the grape would thrive in the rocky limestone soils of Paso Robles. We have planted 3.5 acres of Tannat, and it has indeed thrived here.
Our Tannat grapes are grown on our certified organic estate vineyard.
The 2013 vintage was a classic California vintage, warm and sunny, with added intensity from the low yields produced by our second consecutive drought year. The summer was consistently warm, without the heat spikes or cold stretches that can delay ripening, and resulted in an early harvest under near-perfect conditions. The net result was a blockbuster vintage, with excellent concentration and good freshness, that should offer both early appeal and the capacity to age. We harvested our Tannat between September 19th and October 2nd.
The Tannat grapes were destemmed and fermented using native yeasts. The wine was then moved to small barrels where it was aged for 18 months and then bottled in April of 2015.