Dirty & Rowdy - April 2 release

2017 Unfamiliar Mourvèdre
$23 per bottle / 1971 cases produced
12.8% ABV
Have you ever listened to The Devil Went Down to Georgia? Really, really listened to it?

The devil confronts young Johnny and makes a wager with him for a fiddle of gold against his soul in an old timey fiddle duel. The devil goes first and unleashes deep, demonic funky lines, and lays down some nasty grooves.

Instead of surrendering and losing his soul, Johnny jumps up and caws, “Fire on the mountain run boys run!" while delivering some blistering fiddle of his own.

Defeated, the devil, hands over the golden fiddle, and Johnny triumphantly belts out,
"Devil, just come on back if you ever wanna try again,
I done told you once, you son of a b****,
I’m the best there´s ever been!”


The Unfamiliar is light red, and drinks like an exotic cross between our Familiar and Especial Mourvèdre wines. You may never see this wine from us again so buy and drink with gusto!

2017 Alder Springs Viognier
$42 per bottle / 147 cases produced
13% ABV

Scents of pink rose and orange oil reach up to the places that tickle behind your ears. On the palate you drop directly into the deep sea where luminous creatures blink their fruit and spice laden lights. As you ascend to the surface, you look around, pause, take a deep breath, and dive back for more.

The Viognier does it again!

Grown-up and switched on. This is a medium+ bodied wine perfect for pork loin, empanadas, and full moon dinner parties.

2017 Mendocino Chenin Blanc
$34 per pottle / 540 cases produced
12.8% ABV

Cool and clean rocks - early peach with flavors of persimmon, quince, and the forest’s tasty nectar shoot.

Maps to lost cites of gold. An expansive wine with prickly acidity that leads to daydreams of white tigers gnawing on pineapple cores.

This is a bold Chenin Blanc. Serve with food. If out of fried chicken, find a seafood pasta, lobster BLT, or oyster po-boy. In terms of structure, this may be one of the most grand Dirty and Rowdy wines to date.

I’m in for a couple of the chenins and viognier, just debating on how many of the Unfamilar!

I am aware of the other thread but someone mentioned to make a new one for new release and I thought that made the most sense.

Mods - feel free to merge them if you’d like

I love any wine release that has a contingency for “If out of fried chicken”

So what makes the Unfamiliar Mourvedre different from the familiar? Just the unfamiliar weather conditions which 2017 presented us with?

Thank you, EHeffner, for posting the email notes for today’s Dirty & Rowdy release!!

I have never had a bottle of the Dirty & Rowdy “Especial”, so I lack a great frame of reference for the new “Unfamiliar” Mourvèdre. I wonder if it’s similar in style to the “almost red” wines mentioned in the “How Much Should a Rosé Cost?” thread. Regardless, the price is ridiculously tempting!!


I would be most appreciative of input from Hardy (or anyone else for that matter) in regards to what to expect from the new “Unfamiliar” Mourvèdre.

Any word on the differences?

I forget what thread it was in but Hardy chimed in and memtioned the ‘unfamiliar’ was from a new/different vineyard source compared to the familiar

Hm. Interesting. I think they both are sourced from 6-7 different vineyards

From D/R website:
For reds, 2017 threw us into unfamiliar territory, and we fought like hell to produce the best wine possible. This required us to put on modern winemaking hats – some fermentations were restarted, some volatility cleaned up and removed, and then nearly everything was blended together and filtered. Our 2017 Unfamiliar is an emotional wine. It is a blend of 100% of the following vineyards: Shake Ridge Ranch, Rodnick Farm (formerly Antle), both Skinner vineyards, Rosewood, Wonderment Rd., Alder Springs, and Brosseau. The final wine, the 2017 Unfamiliar, brings aromatic healing, salvation, and redemption.

Have you ever listened to The Devil Went Down to Georgia? Really, really listened to it?

The devil confronts young Johnny and makes a wager with him for a fiddle of gold against his soul in an old timey fiddle duel. The devil goes first and unleashes deep, demonic funky lines, and lays down some nasty grooves.

Instead of surrendering and losing his soul, Johnny jumps up and caws, “Fire on the mountain run boys run!" while delivering some blistering fiddle of his own.

Defeated, the devil, hands over the golden fiddle, and Johnny triumphantly belts out,

"Devil, just come on back if you ever wanna try again, I done told you once, you son of a b****, I’m the best there´s ever been!”

The Unfamiliar is light red, and drinks like an exotic cross between our Familiar and Especial Mourvèdre wines. You may never see this wine from us again so buy and drink with gusto!

Grapes: 85% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% Grenache
AVAs: Monterrey, Mendocino, El Dorado, Amador Counties
Alcohol: 12.5%
Winemaking: 100% whole cluster. Stuck lots restarted. Volatility reduced. Gently filtered. We made the … out of this wine.
Farming: 90% Organic / 10% Sustainable
Production: 1971 cases of happiness
Price:$23 - 750ML
Closure: Sealed with a NomaCorc Select Bio closure. It is a plant based, carbon neutral, breathable, recyclable, cork alternative.

2017 Unfamiliar Vineyards:
The Unfamiliar is 100% of the following vineyards from ’17- Shake Ridge, Skinner Stoney Creek, Skinner White Oak Flats, Rodnick (formerly Antle), Brosseau, Alder Springs, Wonderment Road (new), and Rosewood. I declassified all of them. The only vineyard designates from ’17 will be Evangelho and Enz.

The Nitty Gritty:
This is a light red wine (neither purple nor rosé) and it looks like a blend of cool climate, coastal Pinot Noir with a dollop of light colored Grenache. It is really pretty. On the palate, it is bright, focused, and packs an incredible amount of flavor, intensity, and minerality for its cheerful weight. It is a wine to consume now through the next 18 months.

Back Story / Why:
For those that didn’t receive the spring release letter, my family and I went through hell last vintage. Beyond the multiple / insane heat spikes, I lost vision in one eye for 10 days (both eyes for 3 days) and I couldn’t drive for most of that period. During that time Kate’s brother tragically died en route to Napa, we then had more heat spikes, multiple memorial services, and then we were out of our house / winery for 8 days due to the fires with some active fermentations and no ability to press off any lots.

With our reds we had a number issues— stuck fermentations that needed restarting, large lots that got volatile, and some of the wines that cruised through fermentation without issues just seemed "incomplete”. Unhappy, I explored every option- Bulking it all off, creating a second label, taking a major loss (this is 85% of our red production), filing a claim, etc… In the end, the best decision I could make was to make this wine. Stuck lots were restarted, almost everything declassified, large blends created and RO’d to clean up volatility. I didn’t want to leave any doubts, and I spent a week+ in blending trials (just to wind back up with the very first blend I assembled). I finally racked everything together and filtered the 2000 case blend.

Salvation:
Though not my normal route, the wine turned out beautifully. It is aromatic, bright, has all that exotic D&R fruit and cinnamon (with a bit more of the Especial / partial carbonic feel). It has great presence for a lighter bodied wine. I am very proud of it. I hope we send it far and wide.

Thank you:
We want to thank everyone for their support and for allowing us to be transparent and clear with who we are, what we do, and how we get there.

These are the experiences that make us human.

Thanks Hardy!!

Thanks Hardy! I am sorry about your rough year and am happy that despite all the nonsense you were still able to put something together that you are proud of. I am very stoked to try it.

It sounds like this wine has some great QPR potential, at least some great fruit sources. I’ll be very happy if it is at all like the Especial, that wine is great. With only two named vineyards in 17 I’m glad I went deep on this one.

So 18 months is the outer limits of what is recommended for consumption?

Thanks everyone!

There’s no need to wait on this one. It might live way beyond 18 months, but that isn’t the intention and we won’t know until we get there.

This is similar to our Especial and Familiar tier of wines- A good part of the charm is in how well they drink young.

Annnnddd…another reason why you should never listen to anything I have to say

Sorry about that. Appreciate you keeping me honest Hardy

Thanks, Hardy, for expanding on the story behind the Dirty & Rowdy “Unfamiliar” Mourvèdre!!


Is this “new” Wonderment Way Vineyard in Placerville?*

• I read about a different winery’s Napa AVA Rosé with 85% Lovall Valley Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre inclusion from a “Wonderment Way Vineyard”, but I believe the source is actually the same place (not anywhere near Napa).

My deepest sympathies to you and Kate’s family for the loss. You are in my thoughts.