Tannat
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5–12 years from the vintage release, as its powerful tannin structure allows it to age gracefully.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled ribeye steak, slow-cooked cassoulet, strong blue cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
Scheid Vineyards' estate-grown Tannat is a bold exploration of a grape historically famous for its fierce tannins in South West France's Madiran region. In the warm, sheltered microclimate of the Hames Valley AVA in southern Monterey County, Scheid has found the ideal terroir to coax out the grape's rich, dark fruit character while softening its rustic edges. The dramatic diurnal temperature shifts of Hames Valley—where hot days are followed by chilly nights cooled by breezes from Monterey Bay—allow the grapes to achieve phenolic ripeness and concentrated flavors while preserving vibrant natural acidity. Aged in oak barrels, this single-varietal bottling showcases Tannat's signature ink-dark color, robust structure, and complex layers of blackberry, plum, and spice, offering a California twist on an Old World classic.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1972 by pioneer Al Scheid, Scheid Vineyards began as an ambitious viticultural venture in southern Monterey County, initially supplying fruit to major California wineries before evolving into a vertically integrated estate wine producer. Spanning more than 3,000 acres across a 70-mile expanse of the Salinas Valley—encompassing microclimates across the Monterey, Arroyo Seco, and Hames Valley AVAs—the estate leverages thermal diurnal shifts driven by maritime winds off Monterey Bay. Viticulture balances alluvial gravel, decomposed granite, and clay-loam soils across twelve distinct ranch sites, farmed under SIP Certified and Certified California Sustainable standards, with the winery fully powered by an onsite wind turbine. Winemaking prioritizes varietal clarity, tension, and texture across an eclectic portfolio, celebrated for vibrant Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, aromatic Viognier, racy Dry Riesling, and rare regional white bottlings such as Petit Manseng and Roussanne.
🍇 Grapes
Tannat