Dos Minas Tannat 2016
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Dos Minas make this Tannat believing it has found its place in Cafayate, and they make it in the young, fruity style that they like to drink. Cafayate is famous for its altitude and the intensity of the sun, this is why their famous Tannat has softer tannins and it's gentler on the palate.
Only 1,000 cases are made of the Torrontes, and only 1,500 cases of the Malbec. The vines for the Malbec are an average of 15 years old, and the Torrontes has grapes from 65-year old vines trained in the pergola system.
Named for its naturally high level of tannins, Tannat is a brooding, rustic, dark red wine that sees its origin in the Madiran region of France. Similar to Malbec’s journey to Argentina from France, Tannat made a similar move in the early 19th century but landed in Uruguay in the hands of Basque settlers. Today Tannat thrives in its warm South American climate, producing a bold, black fruit driven red. Somm Secret—Uruguay producers have the freedom to blend firm Tannat with any other grape whereas Madiran law restricts Tannat’s blending grapes to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and the indigenous grape, Fer.
Home to some of Argentina’s best Torrontes, the Cafayate Valley’s rugged, high-altitude vineyards are part of the Calchaquies Valley in northwestern Argentina. Here, this Argentine white variety is able to achieve optimal ripeness while maintaining a higher than average acidity; its wines are typically full-bodied, dry to off-dry and alluringly aromatic.
In the Cafayate Valley, summers are warm and while most rainfall happens in these months, it isn’t enough to supply to the vineyards with enough water for the entire year. Snowmelt provides a fresh water source for irrigation in these arid and extreme conditionss.