Heart Healthy Tannat Wines from Uruguay’s Bodega Marichal

Tannat is Uruguay’s signature grape. Unlike the fiercely tannic Tannats of France’s Madiran region of the Pyrenees, those of Uruguay are accessible early on with rich flavors, good depth, and in the hands of the right winemakers, like Juan Andrés and Alejandro Marichal of Bodega Marichal, they offer complexity and refinement.  They are also heart-healthy with almost three times more resveratrol than other red varieties and, also, very high levels of procyanidins, the flavonoids that increase oxygen flow to red blood cells and reduce heart disease risks. [See the research here.] We met Juan Andrés at the winery on our trip to Uruguay, and we taste with him whenever our paths cross.  See the IWR Report #57 Tannat and Other Wines of Uruguay for more on  Tannat, Uruguay, and Bodega Marichal.

Founded in 1938, Bodega Marichal is a family winery with 50 ha of estate vineyards.  Located in Etchevarría, Canelones, close to the Rio de la Plata (see map below), the vineyards receive constant sea breezes and cool evenings that contribute to the freshness of its wines. The soils are calcareous-clay. The US Importer of Bodega Marichal is Global Vineyard Importers.

The Wines

Marichal 2023 Albariño Reserve Collection Echeverria – Canelones ($18) 92 Medium yellow straw color. Displays a bouquet of melon and honeycomb with an herbal note. Full in the mouth with citrus and savory notes and an appealing stony minerality. Finishes long and crisp. Aged 5 months on the lees. A wine for pairing with vegetables, fish and fowl. 12.5% alc.

Marichal 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Canelones, Uruguay ($14) 90  Opens with scents of grapefruit and other citrus, and a light hint of herbs. This is an easy drinking, fresh tasting Sauvignon Blanc with moderate acidity, subtle citrus flavors, and a clean finish. Best of all, it’s just 12.5% alcohol and sells for a very reasonable price. An excellent sipping wine served cold.

Marichal 2022 Tannat Premium Varietal Canelones ($16) 90 This is an easy drinking and easy-on-the-wallet Tannat, opening with lifted scents of dark berries and black cherry. It offers medium-weight drinking pleasure with light earthy notes complementing spicy dark red fruit. Nicely balanced with a clean finish. A good bistro wine.

Marichal 2020 Tannat Reserve Collection Canelones ($21) 92 Dark ruby red. The Reserve Collection is a significant step up from the Premium Tannat. It offers a vibrant bouquet of dark cherry, plum, cassis, and tobacco leaf with nicely integrated oak. The mouth feel is round and suave with excellent depth of flavor at its core; there’s good acidity and firm, round tannins. Sixty percent of the wine is aged in oak for 12 months.

Marichal 2018 “A” Tannat Grand Reserve Canelones Uruguay ($65) 93  Opaque in color, the “A” Grand Reserve is an outstanding wine in every respect. Beginning with a multifaceted bouquet of dark berry, perfumed cedar, and a note of loamy soil, on the mouth filling palate it’s superbly balanced with a smooth, silky texture and a long, focused finish. One of Uruguay’s most refined Tannats. Sourced from a 45 year old single vineyard and matured 20 months in oak barrels and concrete tanks; 13.5% alc.  [reviewed earlier]