Winemakers are not mad scientists.
Oh, they toss around percentages and bring terms like pH, brix and malolactic into otherwise normal conversations. But they never huddle over vials, pouring threatening, sparking liquids from one to another. And they rarely burst into maniacal laughter.
Wine is, after all, as much about rudimentary farming as art and science. Still, winemakers can’t help but tinker with nature once in awhile.
The 2014 Highlander red blend from Chacewater is an example of why this aberrant impulse is a good thing.
Winemaker Mark Burch tempered zinfandel with syrah, and then moderated the mix with a dash of petite sirah. Not stopping there, he matured the wine in oak barrels, some new American wood, some worn French.
In more precise terms, the wine is composed of 50 percent zinfandel, 40 percent syrah and 10 percent petite sirah. The wood? 65 percent old world, 35 percent domestic.
Certainly he could add numbers to the equation, but only the result really matters.
The Highlander greets you with bushel of dark berries. The aroma of overripe and dripping blackberries and blueberries, along with a trace of cured tobacco, speak of time — more than two years in wood — and intensity. Yet there is a softness to the bouquet, as well.
A plush note of velour cushions the fruit. A dab of pepper lends a keen edge. Dry petals drift over the nose, hinting at flowers left on the mantel while warm notes of vanilla bean and dry holiday spice lend a welcoming feel.
Like the windswept Scottish highlands — or the remote vineyards of Northern California — there is a rustic character to the wine. An ardent rush of berry jam sweeps over the palate, churning up flecks of black pepper, cured olives and hearty loam.
In the wake of this rich and pleasant onslaught, a sense of genteel calm begins to settle, with vanilla to soften the bursting berries, chocolate to soothe the dense jam and dark-hued cigars to satisfy the peppery bite.
This is a deep and contemplative blend, though hardly a brooding one. Hints of cherry and plum — fresh and bright — thread the edges. A waft of smoke from fall leaves (or more likely from zinfandel) tells on the finish, underscored by earthy spice.
The 2014 Chacewater Highlander is an impressive wine. Somehow, by concocting grapes and staves of oak, Burch culled the blackberry notes of zinfandel and syrah, highlighted some of the unique earthy qualities of the syrah and managed not to overburden the lighter notes of fruit in the zinfandel.
At the same time he wove in tannic structure from the petite sirah, without tipping the balance of acidity.
That’s why winemakers meddle with nature, why we might expect a burst of demonic laughter from the barrel room. And why we should encourage a little doctoring of numbers, from time to time.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
