While the origins of this variety lie in the Basque country, Tannat is best known for its role in the strapping, ‘hairs-on-your-chest’ kinda reds of Madiran in France’s southwest. Like the 2019 Chardonnay, this is a one-off release as it also came from the Adelaide Hills Bowe Lees vineyard which was destroyed by the bushfires in 2020..
Winemaker, Pete Shiell, picks up the story: “This is certainly a wine made in the vineyard. Multiple passes to thin shoots, manually managed canopy, dual green harvests and hand harvesting of bunches delivered fruit that we think shows the best of the variety and the site.” The grapes were fully de-stemmed, fermented with indigenous yeasts in open fermenters, hand plunged and spent 10 days on skins prior to pressing. It was raised on light lees in thick-staved puncheons (one-third new) for 10 months prior to bottling.
As you would expect from the variety, this is an amply flavoured number and yet surprisingly light on its feet. With bright fruit and dark cherry/iodine/ink notes, racy acidity and firm, spicy tannins, it is a compact and mid-weighted red that is both delicious and distinctive! It “rarely escapes a rib eye,” chez Spinifex, which makes a whole lot of sense.