A Tannat Visit

0900, 31 July, El Pomar District, Paso Robles

Tannat on the vine destined for the 2024 Volatus Bloody Well Right. Yes, my hand is calloused brutally from pull ups!

For those familiar with Volatus, it should come as no surprise we are huge fans of Tannat. Although still a relatively obscure, alternative varietal, we are all in on this grape. For many in Paso, Tannat is still a blending grape, adding color, tannin, and complexity to Cabernet and other full bodied reds. At Volatus, we have made Tannat as a varietal wine since 2015 and rarely blend. The notable exception is in the 2023 vintage where we blended Tannat with the other two members of the Volatus Holy Trinity, more on that at a later date, Petite Sirah and Graciano. The result, the 23 Bullfighter, is an impressively large yet approachable wine; although we are talking Tannat, stop in and try this one on special winery occasions.

Back to Tannat, as we expanded Tannat production to 350-400 cases per year, we needed to find the appropriate vineyards that would match the Bloody Well Right style of ours. In most growing locations, Tannat can become a remarkably tannic and aggressive wine when young. Our vineyard and winemaking choices tame the grape and yield a big, balanced wine ready to drink upon release, normally after only 14-16 months in French oak. For me, the soils and mesoclimates of the El Pomar District on the southeast side of Paso Robles give me the exact raw material needed for insanely good Tannat. We use, primarily, three vineyards all located within a mile and a half radius. Similar soil, weather, and farming techniques deliver a consistent base profile but with each vineyard still adding its own unique characteristics to the mix.

As the image above shows, one of the vineyards has just started veraison. With that said, over 50% of the clusters are still completely green with no hints of pink or purple yet.

Young 2025 Tannat not yet into veraison.

It is still very early for Tannat. Most years, we harvest this field in late October. With temps slightly warmer compared with when I last wrote, the vineyards are looking great and have plenty of time to ripen. As we wait and watch what happens in the vineyard, we are preparing for a Tannat deep dive at the tasting room. 16 and 17 August we will investigate 10 years of Tannat wines here at Volatus. There will be two seatings Saturday and one Sunday, each will feature at least six vintages of the Bloody Well Right. I am, of course, a little biased but this is a tremendous opportunity to taste the best Tannat available. Click here for tickets.

Fight’s on!

Bull Schmitt