Page "Tannat" Paragraph 9

In the late 19th century, University of California-Berkeley agriculture professor Eugene W. Hilgard imported the Tannat vine from Southwest France and began to grow it in the University's vineyards.

The grape did not receive much attention until the late 20th century, when South American varietals of the grape variety began to receive international acclaim.

In the 1990s several plantings began to appear in California in the Paso Robles and Santa Cruz Mountains AVAs with such producers as Bonny Doon Vineyard using it in blends with Cabernet franc and Tablas Creek Vineyard using it in conjunction with Rhone varietals.

Other Californian wine producers began using it in Meritage blends and also with their Sangiovese and Syrah wines.

Vineyards in Texas, Arizona, Oregon and Virginia began importing cuttings from California.

In 2002, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives approved Tablas Creek Vineyard's petition to add Tannat to the list of grape varieties that could be made into a varietal wine.

By 2005, Tannat acreage in California had increased to.