This is the fourth vintage in a row that Garzón’s Reserva Tannat has earned an exceptional score, this 2020 release the most compelling yet. It sets the bar for the coastal vineyards of Uruguay with its dark-skinned beauty, its fresh purple-plum and lively red-berry flavors over the pencil-shaving notes of the tannins. If, like Alejandro Bulgheroni, you had a billion dollars, would you choose to plant 1,200 parcels of vines in balasto—outcroppings of granite thought to be the earth’s oldest—weathered into soils where tannat finds a remarkable home? Or hire Alberto Antonini and Germán Bruzzone to build a winery with tulip-shaped cement vats where the tannat could ferment on its own yeasts before moving to untoasted botti for aging? What Bulgheroni and his team have achieved is nothing short of brilliant, a floral essence of this Atlantic grape, with a thin, high wall of tannins to surround all the bright fruit. It’s not often that you find such a satisfying wine for $20.
93
Bodega Garzón 2020 Maldonado Reserva Tannat
$20
Every week, our editors highlight a wine that intrigued them in our blind panel tastings, expanding on their tasting note in this space. These are entirely editorial choices; there are no paid placements. Subscribers can also access the original tasting note by searching here.
Joshua Greene is the editor and publisher of Wine & Spirits magazine.
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