14 Apr Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Bushong Tannat 2017 Paso Robles on International Tannat Day

To Tannat or not Tannat is the question. Well, today, the answer is to Tannat because today is International Tannat Day and the Bushong Tannat 2017 from Paso Robles is the Please The Palate wine of the week. Tannat is a thick skinned grape that produces a wine that is a dark inky color and high in acid and high in tannins. The high tannins are what inspired the name of the grape. The grape varietal Tannat originated in Madiran in the foothills of the Pyrenees in southwest France. In the 1870s, French immigrants brought Tannat vines to Uruguay where the grape thrived. Tannat is used to make a range of styles from sweet rosés to still reds to fortified wines and is the national grape of Uruguay. There are a little more than 600 acres planted in California and San Luis Obispo is home to 60 acres planted. Bushong Vintage Company is a small-lot wine producer that works with eclectic varieties sourced from across the Central Coast, including Tannat from Paso Robles. There are less than 150 cases made of Tannat, which is a deep red color with purple highlights. The wine has aromas of blackberry, black currant, plum, fig, and pretty violet notes. On the palate the wine is fresh with tingling acidity and soft chalky tannins and finishes with espresso notes. While I enjoyed the 2017 Tannat on International Tannat Day, the current release is the Bushong 2018 Tannat for $43.