Chacewater’s 15 Year Tawny Dessert Wine just earned 94 points from judges at Wine Advocate.
No big deal, you say? Chacewater’s wines receive almost routine 90-plus point praise, along with gold medals from state and national competitions. But this was the highest score they have received so far from the publication.
The phrase “Tawny Desert Wine” is the allowed translation for Port wines produced outside of the Douro Valley tradition. When Chacewater bottled their aged, fortified wine in 2015, they missed the grandfather date that would have allowed them the more familiar identity.
But what’s that line from Shakespeare?
Yes, a Port by any other name is just as rich and compelling, if treated by the winemaker with similar respect. The grapes were sourced from a Lake County vineyard then devoted to traditional Port varietals — Tinta Cao, Touriga Nacional, Trussao and Souzau. And winemaker Mark Burch stayed awake night and day with the barrels during fermentation as sugar levels crept toward his target.
He remembers the moment he brought fermentation to a screeching halt. At 2:35 a.m. on November 21, 2000, Burch introduced a particularly potent spirit to the barrels.
But he still can’t fully explain the resulting wine — the clever layers, describe the balance between its rich nature and light mouthfeel or find the cause of its wandering cast of characters.
“I wish I could say I knew that it would be this incredible,” Burch said when he released the dessert wine in July of 2015. “It’s really vibrant — it doesn’t just lay there.”
Like all aged Ports it suits a relaxed, contemplative setting. A rich bouquet of aged fruit — raisins and figs — and brewed coffee conjures images of soft, worn leather chairs surrounded by antique volumes on dusty shelves.
Yet Burch’s creation shakes you from this reverie, giving notice even on the nose of its uniqueness. A strong maple scent piques your attention. This is followed up by other unorthodox notes — rustic hints of drying loam and freshly chopped wood redolent of bark alongside bursts of heavy ripe fruit.
On the palate it is even more engaging. Around the hearthstone of dried fruits, dark coffee and cured tobacco leaves swirl unexpected characters. They seem to come and go. Take a sip, you notice one. Let the wine sit for awhile and try again, another emerges. Thinned out maple syrup develops a heartier impression of toffee. A toasted nut sensation lends a curiously mellowed bitter hint, tugging at that inscrutable combination of planed wood and seasoned bark. And then there is a bright citrus, emerging here and there at will, a happy vagabond, unburdened by age.
“It’s crazy,” Burch said, struggling to pin down all the flavors. “There’s more I can say about what it’s not than what it is.”
He started it while working in the Wildhurst vineyards and set aside two barrels, which Burch purchased when he moved down the road to Chacewater. He considered releasing it to the public at 10 years, but hesitated.
And sometimes he who hesitates wins.
It’s a wine that captures your attention, that sweeps you away even as you try to deconstruct its soul. The 15 Year Old Tawny is very much a Port — the finish is deep and long, thick with raisins, figs, dates and soothing mocha.
It can earn acclaim. But the wine just can’t use a name it well deserves.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
