Domaine Ilarria, Irouleguy

Deep, dark purple. Illaria's 2017 Irouléguy Rouge offers a lifted nose of boysenberry, raspberry, violet, and white pepper. Astringent as usual for tannat with a firm backbone of grippy tannins, best with a few more years rest. (55% Tannat, 30% Cabernet franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon)

Its has pure aromas of dusty raspberries, menthol, red and black cherries, iron and earth. Its light to medium bodied nicely structured palate has great balance, polish, lovely transparency, reasonable density and gobs of fruit. It ends longish and balanced. Stands out for its purity, balance and chiseled elegance.

Nat cork. A dull, plummy purple. Earthy nose with a bit of heat but its inviting with its pleasant mix of red and black fruits. Still well structured but dirnking very nicely. If a bit rustic, its only in the most friendly and genuine way. Drinks much like it smells but with even finer balance. Flavorful and tasty, drank lovely with a roast chicken. Very much enjoyed and great QPR. No hurry to drink these but coming into a very …

A Hemingway wine. Dark, brooding, tannic, and definitely manly. This is not a lot of fun and would not be a crowd pleaser, but it has a French countryside rusticity that is nice and would be stellar with some lamb stew on a cold night. Not quite the depth or interest of many madirans, but really speaks of place and will put hair on your chest.

Popped & poured. A very dark blood-red in the glass. Fist punch of aromas is all dark fruit & spicy black pepper. With a bit of air it mellows out a bit while still maintaining a very pronounced activity. This is definitely a wine that needs food.

I would give this a bit of time. tannins are tight. First glass (from a 375) was tight and austere, rustic but nice on first day. Sat the remainder (of the 375) overnight, and the next day there ws a nice pure clean essence of dark cherry. Nice. But tannins still big.

.375 bottle. $8.99 Closed and unbalanced upon opening. Needs air... After about 2 hours, the wine began to balance and loosen. The dominating aromatics and flavors are similar to Loire Cab Franc. Subtle tobacco, loam, clay and mineral, overlay dark currant and black licorice, with a hint of spice and florals. Rustic and austere, with pronounced, dusty, drying tannins that linger on the palate. Medium body, with decent concentration and structured mid-plate. Finish is average, though definitely not powerful. An …

Le vin m'a semblé fatigué avec un dépôt appréciable. Acide et léger. Pas ce que je m'attendais pour un vin méridional. Déçu!

Almost jammy on the nose, though fresher. Black currants and raspberries with a little licorice. Fairly full bodied on palate with very good acidity and moderate tannins. There's some spiciness and bitterness on the finish. Seems an honest, well-made wine, though not the most polished. Tons of sediment, so decant it! Didn't develop much with air. For some reason, makes me think of a how I wish a fruit bomb Zin would taste without the high alcohol and raisiny flavors.

Blue and red fruit, licorice, and something that gives the impression of dusty clay. On the palate subtle complexity. Salted plum, iodine, mocha, tart cherry. Tannins have a lovely warm bitterness about them. I think this is very successful as a well structured, well balanced table wine. At $15, it's a great deal. A score for Tannat from Irouleguy? I'm not that brave.

nose of tobacco, fresh cherries, and mineral. palate is medium in weight and a bit tannic. Needs a few years to soften.