Last Friday, I posted Part 1 of this two-part article, exploring Uruguay and its wine industry. Now, I want to highlight a number of Uruguyan wines I tasted at the recent Masterclass, showcasing the quality and diversity that can be found. Tannat to Albariño, Carbonic Maceration to Co-fermentation. And more.
First up, a couple of Albariño wines. I'll note that Uruguay currently has about 400 hectares of Albariño vineyards, and it has done especially well on granitic soils. The 2022 Cerro del Toro Albariño Sobre Lias ($29.99), made from 100% Albariño, has a 12.5% ABV, and comes from the Maldonado region. The winery was established in 1960 by Makoto Kambara, of Japanese descent, and his son, Takao, now manages the winery.
Only 5,000 bottles of this wine were made, from their 5 hectares of Albariño grapes, and the vineyard is only about 2 kilometers from the sea. There are considered to be two main types of Albariño, young and evolved, and this wine is an evolved type. The wine was produced with no oak, and sat for about 9 months on fine lees. It was absolutely delicious, complex and flavorful, with tastes of stone fruit and citrus, a touch of salinity, and a very lengthy, pleasing finish. Well balanced, good acidity, and perfect for pairing with seafood. Highly recommended!
The 2023 Familia Deicas Atlantico Sur Albariño ($17.99-$19.99) is also made from 100% Albariño, has a 13.5% ABV, and also saw no oak. The Deicas family purchased and transformed a prior winery in 1979, and started exporting their wines in 1994. This wine had a richer mouthfeel, with more tropical fruit flavors, some herbal notes and a hint of bitterness, especially on the finish. Good acidity, a long finish and it too would pair well with seafood.
I'm not usually a fan of Viognier on its own, but I was impressed with the 2023 Vina Progreso Overground Viognier ($25.99), made from 100% Viognier and with a 12.5% ABV. Vina Progreso is a project from 4th generation winemaker, Gabriel Pisano, in the Canelones region. "Overground" wines are considered more "civilized and welcoming," and generally enjoyed by most wine consumers. "Underground' wines are more edgy, and appeal more to wine geeks. This wine is intended to showcase the purity of the fruit. The wine was crisp, fresh and lean, with some subtle perfumed aromatics, apple and citrus flavors, and a lengthy finish. Such a pleasure to enjoy on its own, although it too would pair with seafood and light chicken dishes.
One of my favorite wines of the tasting, as well as a pleasant surprise was the 2023 Pizzorno Maceracion Carbonica Tannat ($19.99), made from 100% Tannat and with a 12.5% ABV. The winery was established in 1910, in the Canelones region, and is now run by the 4th generation. They export about 60% of their wines. The grapes for this wine were harvested in February/March 2023, and the wine underwent carbonic maceration, as is done with some Beaujolais. They are the only winery in Uruguay that sells this type of wine commercially. It was bottled about 4-5 months ago, and isn't made to age long. The wine is easy drinking, juicy and delicious, with smooth, mild tannins and bright red and black fruit. Excellent on its own, although you could easily drink it with pizza or burgers. You could even chill this wine if you'd like. This type of wine is not what many people expect from Tannat.
The 2022 Cerro Chapeau Castel Pujol Folklore Tinto ($23.99) is made from 80% Tannat and 20% Petit Manseng (a white grape), from the Rivera region. In 1975, Quico Carrau Pujol, in collaboration with the University of California Davis, sought for a vineyard spot which would be conducive for the first virus-free vines. They found some land in Rivera, Cerro Chapeu, planted vineyards, and in 1997, Pujol began designing a winery.
The 2023 Familia Deicas Atlantico Sur Albariño ($17.99-$19.99) is also made from 100% Albariño, has a 13.5% ABV, and also saw no oak. The Deicas family purchased and transformed a prior winery in 1979, and started exporting their wines in 1994. This wine had a richer mouthfeel, with more tropical fruit flavors, some herbal notes and a hint of bitterness, especially on the finish. Good acidity, a long finish and it too would pair well with seafood.
I'm not usually a fan of Viognier on its own, but I was impressed with the 2023 Vina Progreso Overground Viognier ($25.99), made from 100% Viognier and with a 12.5% ABV. Vina Progreso is a project from 4th generation winemaker, Gabriel Pisano, in the Canelones region. "Overground" wines are considered more "civilized and welcoming," and generally enjoyed by most wine consumers. "Underground' wines are more edgy, and appeal more to wine geeks. This wine is intended to showcase the purity of the fruit. The wine was crisp, fresh and lean, with some subtle perfumed aromatics, apple and citrus flavors, and a lengthy finish. Such a pleasure to enjoy on its own, although it too would pair with seafood and light chicken dishes.
One of my favorite wines of the tasting, as well as a pleasant surprise was the 2023 Pizzorno Maceracion Carbonica Tannat ($19.99), made from 100% Tannat and with a 12.5% ABV. The winery was established in 1910, in the Canelones region, and is now run by the 4th generation. They export about 60% of their wines. The grapes for this wine were harvested in February/March 2023, and the wine underwent carbonic maceration, as is done with some Beaujolais. They are the only winery in Uruguay that sells this type of wine commercially. It was bottled about 4-5 months ago, and isn't made to age long. The wine is easy drinking, juicy and delicious, with smooth, mild tannins and bright red and black fruit. Excellent on its own, although you could easily drink it with pizza or burgers. You could even chill this wine if you'd like. This type of wine is not what many people expect from Tannat.
The Tannat grapes were fermented with the skins from the first press Petit Manseng, an old technique intended to give more flavor to the Tannat. With a 13% ABV, it possessed good acidity, smooth tannins, and plenty of black fruit favors, with subtle spice notes. Delicious and easy drinking, this would be another excellent pizza and burger wine, although it could pair well with a steak too.
The 2018 El Capricho Aguara Tannat ($50), with a 14% ABV, is made from 100% Tannat, from a single vineyard site in the Durazno region. It's a relatively new winery, having planted grapes in 2003-2004, and currently owning only 7 hectares. The site for these grapes is more inland, in a warmer area. The property has a number of red foxes on the property, so they placed one of the wine label. This wine spent about 18 months in new French oak and then 15 months in the bottle. This is a complex and muscular wine, with stronger tannins, rich dark black fruits, a spicy backbone and a lengthy, appealing finish. An elegant powerhouse of a wine, perfect for steaks. It's not cheap, but it's worth a splurge.
Finally, there's the 2020 Alto de la Ballena Tannat-Viognier, with a 14.5% ABV, and made from 85% Tannat and 15% Viognier from the Maldonado region. The winery's name roughly translates as "high of the whales," and it was founded in 2000 with the purchase of 20 hectares of land in the Maldonando region. The grapes for this wine were co-fermented together, similar to what's done in Côte-Rôtie. It was a less powerful, sweeter and and smoother wine than the previous one. It spent about 9 months in American oak, and it shows more of that oak influence.
So, have you enjoyed any Uruguayan wines recently? If not, seek some out. If you have, share your impressions.
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