Bodegas Castillo Viejo
Cata Mayor Varietal Premium Tannat
San Jose, Uruguay
Wine 5 out of 5 of my blind tasting.
I went to Italy on the nose with this one as the cherry and leathery notes sent me to Tuscany and chianti almost immediately. Then there was some nice red fruit in the palate, some width, but the tannins were a bit harsh so I thought it could be a nebiolo? Eventually I settled with Sangiovese and chianti but I was clearly very far from the truth...
First ever Uruguayan wine but not my first tannat... A varietal that I enjoy very much back home, in Madiran wines. I was miles away from recognizing it.
There is still that leathery thing on the nose and this bright cherry touch that reminded me of chianti but the palate evolved a bit 24 hours after, the tannins settled a bit, a big bright cherry note shines through and through, there is width and matter and a soft, almost lactic mouthfeel that gets shattered by the lively, almost harsh tannins on this. The finish is rather long and fruity but keeps that lively, tannic mouthfeel alive all along.
This was, in my personal opinion, the best wine of the line up by a good margin. It's not great but it's well made and well in place. It's already 5 years old, so probably it's polished a bit already. Interstingly enough, it was the cheapest of the line up at about 10,5 USD.
I'll probably seek uruguayan wines some more going forward 😁
Wine 5 out of 5 of my blind tasting.
I went to Italy on the nose with this one as the cherry and leathery notes sent me to Tuscany and chianti almost immediately. Then there was some nice red fruit in the palate, some width, but the tannins were a bit harsh so I thought it could be a nebiolo? Eventually I settled with Sangiovese and chianti but I was clearly very far from the truth...
First ever Uruguayan wine but not my first tannat... A varietal that I enjoy very much back home, in Madiran wines. I was miles away from recognizing it.
There is still that leathery thing on the nose and this bright cherry touch that reminded me of chianti but the palate evolved a bit 24 hours after, the tannins settled a bit, a big bright cherry note shines through and through, there is width and matter and a soft, almost lactic mouthfeel that gets shattered by the lively, almost harsh tannins on this. The finish is rather long and fruity but keeps that lively, tannic mouthfeel alive all along.
This was, in my personal opinion, the best wine of the line up by a good margin. It's not great but it's well made and well in place. It's already 5 years old, so probably it's polished a bit already. Interstingly enough, it was the cheapest of the line up at about 10,5 USD.
I'll probably seek uruguayan wines some more going forward 😁
Lucas Pimenta had this 8 years ago
Lucas Pimenta had this 8 years ago
Jun 9th, 2016