This is the 2015 vintage of the Pisano Arretxea Grand Reserve red wine. It is a Tannat dominant wine coming from Uruguay (97% Tannat 3% Petit Verdot). This wine comes from a vineyard along the Atlantic coast of Progreso, Uruguay that is 30 HA in size, and it is aged in new French oak barrels for 18-24 months. I’ve recently been very intrigued by Uruguay’s wine scene, particularly those from Pisano Winery, and I drove two and half hours each way to a wine store that had this bottle in stock to try it out after thoroughly enjoying some of their entry level wines. This wine was quite lovely on the first sip out of the bottle, but for tasting purposes I decanted it for around 45 minutes based on the tannic profile of the first taste.
Visually this wine is a beautiful, deep garnet color. With a quick swirl, at 14.5% abv, it displays a rich lacing along the bowl of the glass.
On the nose it gives notes of cherry, plum, blueberries, and spice. The taste profile is congruent to the nose, being fruit forward with plum, cherry, blueberry, and spice, as well as a subtle smoky note with a touch of vanilla and clove to finish. The finish was moderate for a wine at this price point, lingering for around 20-30 seconds. The tannins were surprisingly soft, even for a wine of 10 years. Any tertiary notes remain relatively hidden here, leading me to believe this bottle could easily age another 10+ years before really hitting a peak.
This wine was $45, and I’d have to say it was one of the best wines I’ve tried in the <$50 price point, as someone who loves classic left bank bordeaux wines and Napa cabs. If you also enjoy these styles of wines and want to try something new, I’d highly recommend either this bottle or any wine of this style from this region. I think Tannat wines coming from Uruguay will be worth looking out for over the coming years, as the bottles I’ve tried up to this point have all come out swinging in the QPR measure.
by bloks27
Dining and Cooking