Chat Sauvage Pinot Noir Lorcher Schlossberg dry 2014

Chat Sauvage – Lorcher Schlossberg Pinot Noir dry 2014

Introduction

The Chat Sauvage Lorcher Schlossberg Pinot Noir dry 2014 is a single-vineyard wine from one of the Rheingau’s most renowned Pinot Noir sites. The Chat Sauvage winery, a project specialising in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, has bottled a vintage with this wine that was often overlooked at first, but which, when handled with care , reveals itself to be a wine of true elegance. The 2014 Schlossberg bears the estate’s signature style – dense, structured and with Burgundian character – and is now in a particularly attractive drinking window, with the first tertiary aromas beginning to emerge.

The Chat Sauvage Winery

The Chat Sauvage (‘wild cat’) wine-growing project was launched in 2000 by the Hamburg-based entrepreneur Günter Schulz and is now managed by the oenologist Verena Schöttle, who is responsible for both the vineyard and the cellar. The estate’s first wine was produced in 2001 from purchased Pinot Noir grapes; at the same time, Schulz acquired his own vineyards between Winkel and Lorch. Using the proceeds from the auction of a large part of his Burgundy collection at Christie’s, Schulz financed the construction of a new winery and wine shop amidst the vineyards in Johannisberg, which the estate moved into in 2010.

The estate now comprises 8 hectares of vineyards with an annual production of around 25,000 bottles. Two-thirds of the vineyards are situated on steep slopes. Chat Sauvage focuses entirely on Pinot Noir (four-fifths of the vineyard area) and Chardonnay. The wines are aged for eighteen months in French barriques and bottledunfiltered.

The vineyards are situated in Assmannshausen’s Höllenberg, Rüdesheim’s Drachenstein, Lorch’s Kapellenberg and Schlossberg, and Johannisberg’s Hölle, as well as in Winkel’s Dachsberg and Assmannshausen’s Frankenthal. In its approach – a focus on Burgundian grape varieties, ageing in French barriques, and single-vineyard wines – Chat Sauvage is more reminiscent of an estate in Burgundy than a typical Rheingau winery.

The vineyard: Lorcher Schlossberg

The Lorcher Schlossberg lies above the village of Lorch in the western Rheingau and is one of the coolest and most mineral-rich vineyard sites in the region. The site is characterised by steep, grey slate terraces, which lend the wines tension, minerality and complexity. The south-westerly aspect ensures that the vines receive sunlight throughout the day, whilst cooler nights provide a fresh acidity balance.

The Schlossberg is a VDP.GROSSE LAGE and ranks among the most renowned Pinot Noir sites in the Rheingau. Wines from this site typically display a stony spiciness, distinct red fruit and a structured minerality. Chat Sauvage describes the Pinot Noir from the Schlossberg as ‘somewhat more elegant and harmonious’ than that from the Kapellenberg, with a ‘phenomenal Burgundian finish’ – yet the wine ‘magically tastes both sweet and not sweet at the same time’. Thus, whilst the Schlossberg is more accessible than the Kapellenberg, it is by no means simpler.

The 2014 vintage

The 2014 vintage was cool and challengingin the Rheingau . The growing season was characterised by a late spring and a cool summer, leading to a late harvest and low yields. The grapes reached moderate ripeness with high acidity and delicate aromas.

For Pinot Noir, 2014 was a vintage of structure and elegance. The wines display clear fruit, lively acidity and fine-grained tannins. Chat Sauvage, whose style is based on intensity and extraction, benefited from the vintage’smoderate ripeness and acidity – much like in later cool years such as 2021, which suited the estate particularly well.

The 2014 vintage is often overlooked, yet in careful hands it produces wines of true elegance. The 2014 Schlossberg is now in a particularly attractive drinking window, with the first tertiary notes coming to the fore.

Winemaking and Style

Wine-making at Chat Sauvage follows the Burgundian model:

• Hand-harvested grapes

• Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts

• 18 months’ ageing in French barriques

• No filtration prior to bottling

• Single-vineyard wines are vinified separately to highlight the differences between the terroirs

The Lorcher Schlossberg Pinot Noir 2014 bears the estate’s signature style: dark, dense fruit, smoky notes and a structured minerality, paired with lively acidity. Chat Sauvage’s wines are broad-shouldered and powerful, yet with integrated tannins and subtle fruit notes. The estate’s style is based on intensity and extraction, which is particularly evident in cooler vintages such as 2014.

Tasting notes

Falstaff (94 points, Ulrich Sautter, 27 November 2017)

“An impressive interplay of aromas: cassis, black cherries, smoke and woody notes. Chuao dark chocolate. The wine really grabs you on the palate. Extremely youthful. Tannic bite, taut acidity. Delicate yet dense and compact. A long finish. With plenty of potential!”

This review highlights the wine’s intrigue: delicate yet dense, with a grip of tannins and firm acidity, a long finish and plenty of potential. The aromas of cassis, black cherries, smoke, woody notes and dark chocolate reveal the wine’scomplexity and depth.

Further classification

In the Chat Sauvage portfolio , the Schlossberg is described as the more elegant and harmonious wine compared to the Kapellenberg, without losing any of its complexity. A tasting note describes the wines from the Schlossberg as ‘pure red fruit, savoury herb and racy acidity from the steep grey-slate terraces above Lorch’ – that is , pure red fruit, savoury herbal notes and racy acidity from the steep grey slate terraces above Lorch.

A report from 2020 describes the 2014 Schlossberg as a wine that ‘is now entering a particularly attractive drinking window, with the first tertiary notes coming to the fore’. The wines have the structure to age and the finesse to be enjoyed even now, provided they are decanted appropriately.

Technical data

Serving and storage recommendations

• Serving temperature: 15–17 °C (Pinot Noir should not be served too cold)

• Optimal drinking window: 2018 to 2030 – the 2014 vintage is currently in an attractive drinking window, but can still benefit from furtheryears of ageing

• Decanting: At least 1–2 hours before serving, ideally in a carafe

• Food pairings: Excellent with game, beef, mushroom dishes and mature cheeses

• Storage: Stored horizontally at a constant temperature (12–14 °C) and high humidity

Assessment and conclusion

The Chat Sauvage Lorcher Schlossberg Pinot Noir 2014 is a characterful single-vineyard wine from one of the coolest and most mineral-rich Pinot Noir sites in the Rheingau. The 2014 vintage produced wines with clear fruit, lively acidity and fine-grained tannins – characteristics that perfectly complement Chat Sauvage’sextractive style.

With 94 Falstaff points and described as ‘delicate yet dense and compact’, whilst also being ‘extremely youthful’ and ‘with great potential’, this wine demonstrates the tension and depth that characterise great Pinot Noirs from the Rheingau. The aromas of cassis, black cherries, smoke and dark chocolate on the nose, along with the tannic grip and crisp acidity on the palate, make it a complex and long-lived wine.

For lovers of structured, Burgundian-style Pinot Noir, the 2014 Schlossberg from Chat Sauvage is a highly recommended choice – a wine that combines power and elegance and still hasyears of ageing ahead of it.