red grape · regional staple
Tannat
Hautes-Pyrénées foothills, Southwest France
Say it
tah·nah
Final t is silent; two syllables, stress on second.
On the palate
blackberryblack plumblack currantblack pepperlicoriceviolet
How you spot it blind: highest tannin of any major red grape; berries typically carry four seeds
The story
First written down · 1783, Madiran, Hautes-Pyrénées, France (as 'Tanat')
DNA profiling suggests a parent-offspring relationship with Manseng Noir; Tannat is itself a parent of Arinarnoa, a 1956 INRA Bordeaux cross with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Where it lives
Madiran, France · Uruguay · Argentina · Brazil
Shows up as
still redroséMadiran