Recognisable by the intense deep purple colour, the Tannat Reserva shows black plum, juicy blackberry, and a hint of spices on the nose. The palate is full-bodied with an elegant structure which is complimented by ripe tannins and a balanced acidity.

Bodega Garzón is a family-owned winery in Maldonado on the Atlantic coast in southern Uruguay. They pioneered viticulture in this area over 10 years ago, and have since become the standard bearer for premium wines from Uruguay. In November 2018, their pioneering status was recognised by Wine Enthusiast with the ‘New World Winery of the Year’ award. The vineyards at Bodega Garzón are a patchwork quilt of 1,150 individual plots of around 0.2 hectares in size, each plot carefully chosen for a specific variety according to its soil and microclimate. The winery is specially designed to operate as sustainably as possible, and is the first winery outside North America to pursue LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Built on natural terraces, the winery uses cutting-edge technology and operates using a gravity system to ensure quality and energy efficiency at every stage of production.

Located 11 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, the estate has more than 1,000 small vineyard blocks covering hillside slopes, which benefit from varying microclimates, different levels of humidity and an intense canopy management. Well-draining granitic soils and cooling Atlantic breezes allow the grapes to ripen steadily. The vineyards are surrounded by lush forests, palm trees, rocky soils and granite boulders.

The 2023 vintage was almost two weeks shorter than usual. Spring started off dry and cool, providing ideal conditions for flowering and berry set. However, a historic drought persisted from spring to summer, requiring nighttime irrigation from September until harvest time. This careful water management was crucial to achieve the desired yields and ripeness for each grape variety. Despite the challenges, the 2023 harvest developed wines of extremely high quality with excellent complexity and structure.

The hand-harvested grapes were macerated on their skins for five days before fermentation in large 150-hectolitre cement tanks took place at 26-28ºC for one week, with twice daily pump overs. The wine was then aged on lees for 6-12 months in 50-hectolitre, untoasted French oak casks prior to bottling.