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Here is the trick. In France and Uruguay, Tannat grows at low elevation. In Argentina it grows high — much of it above 1,000 meters, and in the north well above that. Its heartland is the Calchaquí Valley of Salta, centered on Cafayate, where vineyards sit around 1,700 meters and higher, among rocky, colorful desert mountains. There are also good plantings in the warmer reaches of San Juan and in Mendoza's Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley.

What altitude does is the whole story. The intense high-desert sunshine — over 300 days a year, with fierce ultraviolet light — ripens Tannat's stubborn tannins fully, while the cold mountain nights keep the wine fresh. Crucially, when growers harvest late (often very late, just as the grapes begin to shrivel) and handle the fruit gently, those famously aggressive tannins ripen into something rich and supple rather than harsh. The result, in the words of critics, is deeply colored wine with plenty of richness, freshness and structure — but without the underripe astringency that plagues Tannat elsewhere. The beast, finally, is tamed.