Sometimes the realities of wine pit the maker against the market.
When that occurs, the winemaker generally backs down. If a vintage sells out and the next is tucked in the bottle, it hardly matters that the new wine would appreciate a few more months in storage. Empty shelves and public demand speak with greater force.
The only group to benefit from this scenario — at least in the case of Chacewater’s 2014 Catspaw Merlot — is that demanding public.
Opened now it is a thoroughly pleasurable wine, loaded with ripe fruits. Yet an unexpected tannic clutch suggests an even greater reward waits for those with patience. If the popularity of winemaker Mark Burch’s 2013 Merlot had not nudged this wine to the market — if he held on to the 2014 for another year — it would certainly command a much higher price per bottle.
So not only is the wine enjoyable now, it’s a bargain later.
“It’s very young,” Burch observed. “But the aromatics tell me this wine has a ton of promise.”
Indeed, the Merlot offers a harvest of fresh plum and raspberry on the nose traced by toasted spice and casked vanilla. Underneath, hint of bitter cocoa and white truffle promise earthly delights. Above this flutters a dash of bright cherry.
The wine prefers to show off all that fruit on the palate, holding the darker impressions in reserve. Bright, chirpy raspberries, fresh cherries and laden plums rush in a torrent before the leathery bond of tannins even attempts to whoa them down.
It’s a heady experience, luscious and lively — and one very distinct from Chacewater’s Sierra Foothills Merlot.
“The Sierra Foothills wine is Bordeaux-ish,” Burch explained. “This is quintessential California. It’s big, it’s ripe.”
The Catspaw Vineyard, perched on Lake County’s Kelseyville Bench AVA, tends to produce condensed clusters that allows the fruit flavors to leap forward. Burch blended in small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc — no more than 5 percent in total — to lend a Bordeaux structure without taming the wine’s new world impetuousness.
Burch set it aside for just over a year in barrels combining new American oak (15 percent) and neutral French. He then shifted it to 2-year-old French wood for another 12 months.
“The new wood, it’s very aggressive,” Chacewater’s winemaker pointed out. “The French oak brings in a toasty character without letting it be over oaked. I wanted to get new oak nuance then I wanted it to integrate.”
Much of this effort appears in the bouquet, with the undertone of vanilla and the earthy bite.
“The spice — that’s French oak,” Burch said.
Yet all of it will develop on the palate. Even at a young stage, indications of cured tobacco, bitter mocha and rich truffle appear. They reside in the distance, but as the wine settles into the bottle, they will stride closer.
Like he said, the 2014 Chacewater Catspaw Merlot is loaded with promise. In a year it will likely develop into a wine worth twice its price — if one has the necessary patience and cool storage space.
Even now, however, it’s a bottle worth sharing. The ripe fruits and cheery countenance make it perfect alongside steaks, burgers, barbecue, or simply on its own.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
