TN: 2014 Dirty & Rowdy Familiar Blanc

By way of background, I had recently tried the 2014 D&R Yountville Semillon and didn’t much care for it. Hardy saw my notes, and sent me a PM that he
thought from my description that it might have been a slightly off or TCA-tainted bottle. He wanted me to try this wine instead, and so he sent me this bottle to taste. This is a white wine blend. Per the label, 39% Chenin Blanc, 28% Semillon, Melon 8%, Chardonnay 21%, and Pinot Blanc 4%. As you can see, a somewhat idiosyncratic blend.

I originally opened the bottle yesterday, and then put the bottle back in the fridge overnight, so now it’s Day 2. Again, the wine is just a touch cloudy in appearance, but much clear than the prior Semillon I tried. When first tasted on both days, the initial impression is very lemony acidity. As the wine warms up, though, the flavors fill out to include more apple notes (presumably the Chenin speaking), and just a touch of creaminess. Compared to the prior Semillon, the wine warms up to a richer, rounder white wine blend.

A vastly more enjoyable bottle than my prior foray with the Semillon sample. But it’s not exactly a “sipping” wine; it’s a wine that performs better with food than without due to the noticeable acidity. I like it–probably between a “yum” and a “yum plus” on my Bruce L. hedonistic scale. Why not higher?

–Although this blend is more aromatic than the Semillon I tried, it’s still not very aromatic–at the moment, the taste is much better than the somewhat muted aroma. I tend to value aromatics more highly with whites than with reds, and at this point in its development, the nose just isn’t as substantial as I would prefer.

–The flavor profile is quite good, but it’s not yet especially complex. Given the unusual blend of grapes, I expected a more complex flavor profile, but the flavors were relatively narrow.

I really have no idea what will happen to this wine as it ages, as I have no experience with an aged D&R white wine blend. It’s certainly possible that I would revise my views strongly upwards with 3-5 years of aging. But just evaluating the wine as it is today, I find that I like it quite a bit but don’t find it compelling.

Bruce

This is certainly food wine. Had a bottle yesterday with homemade fried chicken and it was a great match. Lots of acidity to cut through the fat. Like all of D&R’s whites (and Radikons etc, even if they don’t share production methods) have a hoppy element to them which I both like and find very refreshing. If you’ve ever picked fresh hops its a very distinct and delicate flavour/aroma that isn’t fully translated into the beer you drink.