Bouza Tannat A6 Parcela Única 2023

Bouza is one of the wineries driving Uruguay's reputation for Tannat, working from vineyards around Montevideo where the Atlantic-influenced climate and clay soils recall Bordeaux. Tannat is a thick-skinned, deeply pigmented grape naturally high in tannin and colour, and this A6 comes from a single parcel picked fully ripe, which pushes the wine to a substantial 16.2 percent alcohol. Sixteen months in French oak play an important role here: the slow ingress of oxygen through the barrel polymerises the grape's abundant tannins into a rounder, more supple structure, while the wood contributes vanilla, spice and a toasted edge. The result is a red of real density. Expect an opaque purple colour, a nose of black plum, cherry, dark chocolate and cracked pepper over leather, and a full, warming palate carried by ripe, gripping tannins and a long savoury finish marked by liquorice. This is a wine built for the table and for the cellar. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanted well ahead, with robust red meat.