I remain suspicious of palindromes. Spelled the same forward and backward, they imply some sort of surreptitious activity, twaddle with a hint of malevolence. Tannat sounds more like a scary character in a stylish zombie movie than a perfectly respectable grape, brought by French Basques from the foothills of the Pyrenees to an ideal growing situation in Uruguay, where it now flourishes.
I mention all this because Vinedo de los Vientos Alycone Tannat seems to be stalking me. I first tasted it on Wednesday night, when it was served as the dessert wine at an outstanding dinner at the Living Room at c/o Maidstone. But it was not a terribly impressive taste. The two 500 ml bottles we opened were both slightly corked. I received word afterward that we just happened to hit two flawed bottles of what is usually a well-regarded fortified sweet wine.
This import from Uruguay seems determined, however, to cross the Shinnecock Canal and be accepted in the Hamptons. At tomorrow’s wine dinner at Fresno Restaurant, where Domain Franey is presenting the wines, their dessert wine is none other than Alycone Tannat.
So it gets another chance in another venue. Let’s hope this insistent newcomer hits a home run on Sunday.