For heart-healthy wine, think Madiran

It was back in the early 90s when CBS’s “60 Minutes” first fostered the notion in America that red wine enjoyed in moderation could actually be good for you. In an episode dubbed “The French Paradox,” correspondent Morley Safer inferred that red wine might contain hearty healthy compounds.

Since that time, we would come to learn via various studies and reports that the polyphenols in the skins of red grapes do indeed contain good things like resveratrol, flavonoids, and procyanidins — the latter beneficial to blood vessels and said to be a contributing factor to the above average life spans of people in places, including southwestern France and Sardinia. Big-boned, tannic reds made from thick-skinned grapes appear to offer the most potential benefit. Varietals that fit the bill include Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo.

Perhaps the most heart healthy grape out there is Tannat, an obscure French variety found in the appellation of Madiran. Typically dark, full-bodied and concentrated, this red wine produced in the foothills of the Pyrenees historically had a reputation of being terrifyingly tannic. Commonly they required long-term cellaring to mellow them sufficiently for drinking.

Thanks to modern winemaking techniques like micro-oxygenation (the introduction of tiny amounts of oxygen during fermentation) today’s Madiran is a little less brawny and more approachable in its youth. Better clonal selection and blending in portions of Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc also contribute to a less rustic, more contemporary style.

The wines yielded from the Tannat grape offer a beguiling combination of dark berries, baker’s chocolate, black truffle and loamy earth; always with a vestige of tannic firmness. They’re perfect suited to hearty stews or grilled meats, especially well-marbled cuts of beef or lamb.

Alain Brumont is at the forefront of this modern style of Madiran and the wines he makes at Chateau Bouscasse and Chateau Montus are consistently among the best of the region. His Chateau Bouscasse Madiran ($20) is a blend of mostly Tannat, with added Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc sourced from clay-limestone soils; a full-bodied yet balanced wine with notes of blackberries and spice. Alain’s Chateau Bouscasse Vielles Vignes ($43) is 100 percent ancient-vine Tannat from parcels averaging more than a 100 years old. Aged for 16 months sur-lie in new French oak barrels, it offers complex black fruit, tobacco, truffle and cocoa.

Alain Brumont purchased Chateau Montus back in 1980, resurrecting a once-great terroir suffering from years of neglect and disrepair. Montus’ steep vineyards contain reddish pebble and clay deposits tracing back millions of years to formation of the Pyrenees. A blend of Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Montus Madiran ($25) displays power and elegance with rich raspberry, currant, loam, white pepper and toast. The highest plots are the source for Chateau Montus Prestige ($55) made solely from Tannat and revealing an almost Bordeaux-like profile with fine complexity, subtly and balance.

Jim Greeley is ABC Fine Wine & Spirits’ wine supervisor for Southwest Florida. Follow him on Twitter @abcwinejimg. He blogs regularly at winecountry.abcfws.com. Reach him at jamesg@abcfws.com.