Tannat originates from the Madiran region of south-west France. De La Terre is one of only three wineries in New Zealand to produce Tannat. In its home region this grape has the nickname of ‘la folle noir’ – literally ‘the crazy black grape’ but in the hands of NZ icon Tony Prichard, who was for many years the winemaker at Church Road (1990 – 2005) before setting up De La Terre with chef wife Kaye, this is crazy good. Estate bottled, hand-labelled and individually hand-numbered (this was bottle 1239 of a small production of only 2368 bottles). It is sealed under screwcap.
Deep, opaque, impenetrable purple/ruby. Earthy savoury aromas with a hint of nutmeg & spearmint. On the palate there is a paradox going on. It is plush and juicy although at the same time dry which adds to the interest. Tony notes “the winemaking was directed towards softening the tannins to create mid-palate ‘flesh’ “ and unsurprisingly you can experience this in the glass. There is still some apparent oak which surprises, as it only saw 30% new oak, but it compliments rather than dominates the fruit. Drinking beautifully now, but expect it to remain so for many years. Round, supple acidity with medium length. If you have some in the cellar a good time to try and if not try and seek some out. 93pts
