2020 Balasto, Bodega Garzón Balasto

• Style: Full-bodied Red Blend
• Taste: Dark fruit, spice, earth, and Atlantic minerality with grippy tannins
• Food: Grilled beef, roasted lamb, game, stews, aged cheeses
• Occasion: Gifting, cellar worthy, unhurried sipping
• Serve: 14.5% ABV, natural cork, 75cl

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

This Uruguayan red announces itself with dark-fruit intensity and a mineral snap that speaks to its Atlantic-coastal home. Expect ripe red and black fruits framed by spice and earth, with tannins that grip without harsh edges and the textural polish that comes from careful barrel work. At 14.5% alcohol, it drinks with remarkable presence and rewards unhurried sipping.

The Winery — Bodega Garzón

Bodega Garzón is a family-owned pioneer in Uruguay's Maldonado region, situated just 11 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Over the past decade, they've become the country's quality standard-bearer, recognised in 2018 by Wine Enthusiast as New World Winery of the Year. Their vineyard is a mosaic of micro-managed micro-blocks, each planted to its soil and microclimate. The winery itself was the first outside North America to pursue LEED certification, operating with gravity systems and cutting-edge technology for maximum sustainability. The 2020 vintage benefited from a mild winter and warm, dry summer — conditions that delivered perfect ripeness without heaviness. The blend of Tannat (42%), Cabernet Franc (38%), and Petit Verdot (19%) was aged twenty months in French oak (25 and 50 hectolitre barrels, untoasted), weaving structure and depth while preserving coastal minerality. Vegan and vegetarian-friendly, sustainably made.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This is a wine built for confident meals. Grilled beef, roasted lamb, and game all shine alongside its power and precision. It pairs equally well with stews, braises, and roast dinners — anywhere you want a wine with backbone and textural polish. The 2020's balance of vibrancy and grip makes it ideal for gifting to serious collectors, and it's certainly cellar worthy if you'd like to hold it. Explore our selection of full-bodied red wines to discover similar expressions of structure and depth.