Recap: Bodegas Carrau on #winechat

Uruguay wines were trending on Wednesday, March 5 during #winechat hosted by Protocol Wine Studio. We were chatting about Bodegas Carrau 2013 Sauvignon Blanc Sur Lie and 2010 Tannat Reserva.

There were 40 active participants from around the world on Twitter with more than 300 messages in the hour. In San Diego, a group of us paired the wines from Uruguay with incredible food of Pamplona and for Lent Pascualina at Cueva Bar.

While Uruguay wines are still new to most Americans, we were fortunate to have some excited tasters who had learned about the region at the 2013 Wine Blogger Conference. According to Wines of Uruguay, the country has 3,500 growers, 270 wineries, 22,000 acres of vines and 10 million cases of wine produced annually. The signature wine is Tannat with 22% of the vineyard plantings.

Our focus was on Bodegas Carrau with five siblings working to honor more than 260 years of winemaking by their ancestors. The family has two vineyards, 1) in Cerro Chapeau in northern Uruguay and 2) in Las Violetas in southern Uruguay.

The 2013 Bodegas Carrau Sauvignon Blanc is in Cerro Chapeau with an elevation of more than 1,000 feet over sea level, the highest vineyard in Uruguay. Here were the responses to this Sauvignon Blanc:

@JamesTheWineGuy B. Carrau Uruguay Sauv Blanc Sur Lie 13 > delicate notes of quince, yellow-pink citrus, fennel, tea, and white peach -> absolute delight
@winegrapestone found very good acidity in the Sauv. Blanc. Surprising for the latitude. Mellow passion fruit from the sur lie.
@SLHousman 2013 Bodegas Carrau Sauvignon Blanc Uruguay Tastes of green apples & pineapple slight floral finish
@themarymaynard The Sauvignon Blanc is buttery and mineral and I have a friend drinking it with me who say she will be buying it soon!!
@thewinecompass I think its cool they produce the Sauvignon Blanc sur lie. I remember a little yeastiness with the citrus
@themarymaynard I loved the sur lie also!!
@winegrapestone reminds me of the way merryedwards makes SB in Sonoma. Goes for $40+/bottle
@SacredDrop I agree! The SauvBlanc is smooth yet has a great amount of acidity and finishes strong.
@alawine 2013 Bodegas Carrau Sauvignon Blanc: Apple, pineapple, grapefruit, smooth, round, bright acidity. #7wordwinereview
@artpredator Wow so surprised & pleased by crisp yet rich& very aromatic 2013 bodegas carrau sauv blanc Uruguay! Love that its sur lies!
@amylieberfarb Clear white wine w/ green hues, Herbal bouquet reminds me of honeysuckle
@themarymaynard Buttery, smooth, refreshing, mineral #bodegascarrau Sauvignon Blanc
@artpredator As it opens, sauv blanc Bodegas Carrau moves from bright stone fruit to more citrus. It also changes a lot as it warms

The 2010 Bodegas Carrau Tannat is in the Las Violeta regions with an elevation of only 150 feet over sea level. Here were the responses to this Tannat.

@SacredDrop Tannat from Uruguay, tobacco, cigar box with dark berries, dry with good acidity and length.
@winegrapestone Tannat lots of plum and earth/leaves. Also good acidity. Well managed tannins.
@SacredDrop Tannat Reserva- Tobacco, licorice, candied cherries and red berries- Med-Full body.
@artpredator Lovely & unexpected complexity in nose of Bodegas Carrau 2010 tannat Las Violetas Uruguay & of course deep ruby red violet rim
@50StatesofWine Bodegas Carrau 2010 Tannat Reserva - vineyard grapevines are 25 years old on average
@JamesTheWineGuy B. Carrau Las Violetas Uruguay Tannat de Reserva 2010 - 13.5% ABV - alluringly dry - loving it.
@alawine 2010 Bodegas Carrau Tannat Reserva: medium body, whole plum, long dry 􀃑nish #7wordwinereview very satisfying
@SLHousman Bottle #2 2010 Bodegas Carrau Tannat Tastes of dark plums & toasty oak
@amylieberfarb I'm used to Fruit forward Pinot Noir & this pleasantly surprising...no fruit notes but great oak
@wild4wawine Believe Tannat a great conversation starter and would please/surprise friends

We just took a selection of the Tweets for this recap. We are grateful for all the participants and for the following bloggers in spreading the word on Uruguay wines!

@wild4wawine Bodegas Carrau Winemaking Passion in Uruguay @OWOCwines
@winecompass The Unique Wines of Uruguay Tasting Tour 2013: Tannat and White Impress
@themarymaynard Bodegas Carrau Sauvignon Blanc "Sur Lie"