If an award were given for the most obscure grape variety contributing to California's wine trade, it almost certainly would go to tannat.

A decade ago, just 10 acres of tannat were being grown in the state. The total now is about 200 acres, but compare that with the vast stretches of vineyards planted to cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel and chardonnay.

So what is tannat? It's a black grape used by the few California winemakers who are curious enough to experiment with it to produce a dark, ripe, firm and dry table wine.

The grape is ancient, cultivated in Europe since possibly the Middle Ages; the Oxford Companion to Wine suggests it originated in the Basque region. In Europe, it continues to provide the backbone for the reds of Madiran, an appellation in southwest France.

The Basque heritage is what prompted winemaker Deborah Elissagaray, who with husband Greg Stokes owns Ursa Vineyards in Camino, part of El Dorado County's Apple Hill district, to add tannat to Ursa's lineup, which runs largely to another blustery red wine, petite sirah. Tannat is a way for Elissagaray to acknowledge the Basque heritage of her father, who's from the French side of the Pyrenees.

In both the 2005 and 2006 vintages of the Ursa Vineyards Lodi Silvaspoons Vineyard Tannat, Elissagaray has captured a deeply colored and alluringly aromatic table wine whose tannins aren't so forboding that they interfere with the wine's plummy fruit or its suggestions of tobacco leaves.

Both vintages are intriguing, with a fine-boned European structure. While the color is dense and the fruit ripe, the wines are more elegant than rustic, with a tenacious finish that just brushes aside the tannins to reward the palate with exotic and continually beckoning flavors. Pleased with the quality of the tannat on its own, Elissagaray didn't blend any other grape into the wine.

Both Elissagaray and Stokes are veterans of David Bruce Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains, she as a winemaker, he as a winemaker and vineyardist. They established their own brand in 2001 and two years later moved to Apple Hill.

URSA VINEYARDS

2005 AND 2006 LODI SILVASPOONS VINEYARD TANNATS ($18)

By the numbers: 13.8 percent alcohol and 200 cases for the 2005, 14.8 percent alcohol and 200 cases for the 2006; both $18. Ursa is down to about 40 cases of the 2005, and when they are gone, the 2006 will be available.

Context: In a word, lamb, says Elissagaray, though she also has found that tannat's concentration and muscle make it a splendid companion for similarly robust meats like venison and buffalo.

Availability: The tannat is available only at the winery, 3550 Carson Road, Camino, open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, or online at www.ursavineyards.com.

A fine introductory zin

The Thanksgiving table isn't completely set without a bottle of zinfandel – not only the wine that comes closest to being America's own, but the one with the backbone, juiciness and versatility to stand up to the diversity and richness of the traditional meal.

Zinfandel, however, is apt to scare off guests for whom wine is a rare treat. They've heard stories about the wine's power and weight, and may think it just too overbearing for their unseasoned palates.

In that case, add a bottle of Barefoot Cellars Lodi California Zinfandel to the lineup of wines for the Thanksgiving feast. It's a quaffable zin that won't intimidate guests wary of the ripe fruit, hard tannins and high alcohol level often associated with the varietal.

The Barefoot zinfandel is notable for a smell that is almost as floral as it is fruity, while its flavor is fresh, clean and youthful. Its customary suggestions of berries are accented with a hint of spice and a suggestion of chocolate.

Those attributes help explain how it won a gold medal this year at the Dallas Morning News International Wine Competition.

The zinfandel is likely to show up on a lot of tables this Thanksgiving. It's the country's most popular zinfandel in its price category (generally $5 to $7), with about 350,000 cases expected to be sold this year, says Jennifer Wall, the winemaker at Barefoot, a brand of E&J Gallo Winery of Modesto.

The Barefoot zinfandel is unusual in a couple of respects. First, almost all the Barefoot wines carry the broad "California" appellation. The zinfandel, however, also includes "Lodi," recognition that more than 85 percent of the fruit that goes into the wine is grown in the district.

Second, the wine has no vintage date, though the grapes that go into the zinfandel mostly were from the 2007 harvest.

"All of our wines are non-vintage," says Wall. "We have done this for years to allow blending of multiple vintages to ensure we offer consistent quality and flavor from vintage to vintage."

Wall is a Sacramento native whose family moved to Vacaville when she was 3. She graduated in 1991 from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a degree in biology. A temporary job in the lab of a Sonoma County winery introduced her to the world of wine.

She subsequently enrolled in enology and viticulture classes, worked alongside such influential Sonoma County and Napa Valley winemakers as Kerry Damskey and Erin Green, and in 1995 became the winemaker at Barefoot.

Ten years later, Gallo bought Barefoot and increased production to more than 4 million cases per year. In the meantime, Wall added sparkling wines, new varietals and a series of higher-priced reserve wines to the Barefoot portfolio.

BAREFOOT CELLARS LODI CALIFORNIA ZINFANDEL ($7)

By the numbers: 13.5 percent alcohol, 350,000 cases, $7.

Context: Wall likes to serve the zinfandel with warm appetizers such as stuffed mushrooms, as well as dry cheeses, casseroles, burgers and pizzas.

"It's also amazing with chocolate dessert."

Availability: Find the zinfandel at most supermarkets.

More information: www.barefootwine.com

Longtime wine critic and competition judge Mike Dunne continues his relationship with The Bee as a contributing columnist to the Food & Wine section and sacwineregion.com. Reach him at mikedunne@winegigs.com.