The Wine Fairy

I hope I never stop encountering wines that defy description. Variety is the spice of life, they say.

And that nagging side-brain itch you get when you’re trying to describe an aroma that just won’t let itself be assigned to any normal noun or adjective? I’m trying to learn to love that feeling, that little speed bump on the road to becoming a better taster.

That’s not to say it’s fun, exactly. You think you’re stopping into the bar for a nice tasty Merlot, and you’re served up a frustrating enigma.

What the hell is going on in this glass? Do I even like this wine? It’s not immediately clear. Maybe time or repetition will untangle those puzzles…and maybe it won’t.

I knew I was challenged–bested, perhaps–by this bodacious Bolgheri from Campo al Mare. Yes, it’s Merlot. 100% Merlot, in fact. But throw away that tasting grid and aroma wheel, because the only way to really approach it is to actually smell and taste it.

I first try this Bolgheri at The Wine Authority, where they have been kindly accommodating my weekly need for interesting Merlots for #MerlotThursday. It’s a dark shade of maroon red, visibly viscous and potent.

Thick, liquor-like tears crawl down the sides of the glass, swerving and slumping like drunkards. Aromas of fresh cedarwood, juniper berry, and ethanol. Blackberry and Amaro cherry, if we’re looking for fruit. But it’s mainly woodsy botanicals at first, combining with alcoholic strength to add up to a bracing, gin-like nose.

I cannot get over the intensity of that oily, nostril-stinging cedar, and I feel conflicted because I know this is a very fine wine that has been served in perfect condition. Also, somm/owner Tom has just told me that this wine was aged in 500-liter barrels and so theoretically it shouldn’t be dominated by new oak. (Aargh!)

Luckily, it’s early afternoon and the wine bar is populated with wine nerds and wine sales reps. I enlist a tasting buddy from the barstool next to mine and look for validation.

We sniff our glasses. “It’s cedar, right?” I beg of him. “Oh yeah. Screaming cedar.” We set the glasses aside, drink a nice tame Loire rosé, and wait for the pungent vapors to mellow out.

Twenty minutes later, the woodsy character has indeed settled down. There’s chocolate, a smooth layer of toasty cacao hiding beneath the punchier aromatics. There’s something green and spicy, but it’s not the expected Merlot mint or peppers. Instead, it’s legume-like and unusual–wild lettuce or spring peas or fresh cardamom pods. There’s a pronounced and pleasant aroma of roasted hazelnuts skins that evolves quickly into toasted peanut. (Odd!) Each sip is as mouth-clinging as peanut butter, too–ripe in its tannins and more than full-bodied. It finishes with silty layers of black plum skins, mulberry, and some cured tobacco/tea leaf, plus a hard-to-ignore alcohol kick.

So, a puzzling wine. Not what I expect from a Merlot. Not what I expect from a Super Tuscan, either–which (rightly or wrongly) I tend to think of as oversexed Chiantis: Big but predictable wines, perfect for enjoying with charred steaks and spicy pastas.

By contrast, this wine is camphorous and thick and impenetrable. It baffles me and it evades my appreciation. I take the bottle home.

In the privacy of my kitchen, I taste it again. It’s far better on the second day. (And even on the third.) The fruit finally emerges and comes into its own. Ripe blackberry and black cherry is joined by interesting savory notes of cooked mushroom, kale, and sliced eggplant. The peanuts are still there, morphed into cacahuates japoneses (Mexican red cocktail peanuts), nutty and toasted and berry-like. The cedar is now like a polished frame, surrounding the fruit flavors on all sides but no longer intruding.

And the alcohol? It’s a brawny 15.5%–but you know what? I’m fine with that.

It’s a bit of a taboo to say that you enjoy the taste of alcohol in a wine. But if the renegade winemakers of Bolgheri can break rules and strike out on their own, then dang it, so can I.

I’ll come to the defense of the super-octane Super Tuscan. Alcohol is part of the experience of tasting-slash-drinking, and I rather like catching a buzz before the sugar rush hits. Besides, we’re all going to have to get used to 14%, 15%, and even higher-alcohol fine wines as the planet warms.

So, is this Bolgheri any good? I’m not philosophically opposed to number grades for wines, but on this particular Merlot Thursday, I’m going to refrain from giving a score.

Maybe one wine in ten is like this one: Complex, changeable, massively overpowered, hard to pin down. I don’t have anything to compare it to, and there’s a possibility that it’s over my head. (But if you have one in your cellar, maybe aerate it for a couple hours or possibly even for a couple days.)

Bottle: Tenuta Campo al Mare “Baia al Vento” Bolgheri Superiore (2019)

Variety: Merlot (100%)

ABV: 15.5%

Suggested retail: $82

My rating: —

Doing it for the love of Merlot! See past Merlot Thursday reviews here.

Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.