Big Bold & Beautiful Y. Rousseau Tannat

Tannat is a grape that originates and is the star of the Madiran region in the southwest of France. It is a big, gutsy, bold, tannic grape that needs lots of sun and heat to ripen properly. The grape is known for it’s grippy tannins. If done right, it rivals a velvety Cabernet Sauvignon and perfect pairing for any red meat. Tannat is also grown in Uruguay where it is their top red varietal, Argentina, California and Brazil to name a few.

Y. Rousseau Wines succeeded tenfold with this wine. Yannick Rousseau is from Gascogne, France which is located in the southwest of France. He grew up surrounded by these big beautiful bold reds and his dream was to create his own expression of these wines. He moved to California where he met his wife and they built Y. Rousseau Wines. Through sustainable farming and winemaking, care and respect for the land and vines, they have created very unique expressions of the southwestern varietals. Yannick wanted to plant varietals that he grew up with, i.e. Tannat, Colombard, Merlot to name a few. His vision is to create beautiful wines that pair well with food. After all the French Moto is to have beautiful wines with beautiful food. This single vineyard wine, in Clarksburgh, CA went through a cold soaking and aged in 35% new French oak.

The wine is a deep purple gorgeous color. On the nose the wine is ripe blueberries freshly picked from the orchard, along with delicate violets, black olives and cured meats. The palate is dry, with velvety tannins and balanced acidity. The flavors of blueberries, blackberries, black cherries, currant, violets, black olives, meat, licorice, cinnamon, mint, pepper and vanilla all harmoniously work together in this wine.

Perfect pairing with red meat - grilled rosemary lamb chops, bison burgers, grilled T-bone steak or roasted duck breast.

My video review is available on Instagram Y. Rousseau Tannat