Martin Pohl explains his decision to produce a late harvest wine as nothing more than good old fashioned common sense.
“People like them,” he said.
But his Beaver Creek 2013 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc developed its unique character from happenstance — that and the winemaker’s hands-off creed.
You see, Pohl managed to secure a batch of grapes from the bench near Kelseyville infected with Botrytis cinerea. The fungus dehydrates fruit, turning them into shriveled, miserly things on the vine.
Winemakers are drawn to grapes monstrously disfigured by a brush with Botrytis spores. Indeed, they refer to it as “noble rot.” It’s an ailment that produces some of the most glorious dessert wines, such as the prized Hungarian Tokaji Aszu or the beautiful — and credit-draining — Sauternes from Bordeaux.
The appearance of Botrytis is a matter of patience and cooperation from nature in the form of heavy, humid fall skies. In this case, the rotting grapes were harvested in December, mummified until bursting with condensed sugars.
At 43 brix, Pohl anticipated a balance of residual sugars and alcohol in the finished product. But he adheres to an organic, biodynamic code that leaves little room for winemaker input. Even though the grapes in question were not organic, he merely pressed and sent the juice into neutral French oak barrels and let natural yeasts go to work.
“I don’t control the fermentation,” Pohl said.
He was puzzled when activity slowed and then stopped. As a result, the wine barely topped 11 percent in alcohol.
The Beaver Creek Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc showcases intense, candied fruit flavors untorched by alcohol. On the nose, rich aromas of caramelizing apricots, peaches and nectarines bubble over remnants of meadow grass, guava and pineapple from an unblemished time.
On the palate, the wine resembles a soothing dessert. Condensed fruits glazed in sugar rest in a sweet pie crust, the effect of oak fermentation binding the flavors. And thanks to the noble rot the wine is sparked by a spicy, effervescent ginger over a rich, dark honey foundation.
It’s a beautiful, consuming experience — sweet, intensely fruity, yet with a bright and fresh edge.
Pohl can’t help but be pleased with the result.
“I was surprised,” he admitted, considering the plot twist it gave him during fermentation.
With high residual sugars, the 2013 will last for many more years in the bottle, it’s generous fruit candy flavors preserved. But it is difficult not to enjoy the noble wine now.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
