TNs: Skin

WINE TALK
1

Dirty & Rowdy 2012 Sémillon
Skin-fermented and concrete-egg fermented, says the label.
It took a long time for me to acquire the taste for skin-fermented whites. But this is one of the most exciting wines I’ve had in ages and now it feels kind of boring to go back to skinless…
But this is not an “orange” wine. It picks up that cloudy cast and those extra layers of flavor and texture from the skin but here the color is actually a very pale yellow, and it has the ripping freshness that the orange types sometimes lack. Practically kinetic in its energy. The complexity is dizzying with vivid briny oyster-shell and crustaceous flavors, a rush of umami, and fresh lemony acidity and snap that gives it a rapier-like spine and makes it guzzlingly drinkable.
Drank two of these already and just bought more. I can’t wait to have this with shellfish but I’ve pretty much been craving it with everything.

Salinia 2012 Sun Hawk Farms "Love & Collar Bones"
Front label just shows a drawing of two bunnies with the text “A Louisa Mary Smith Bottling.” Found a spec sheet on the internet saying this was a field blend of marsanne, roussanne, viognier, picpoul, and muscat, 7.5 weeks on the skins and then 5 months in oak.
This one is a deep orange, almost bronze color - looks and tastes much more like the typical Friuli orange wines than the Dirty & Rowdy. The flavors here are real red-fruit flavors, cherries and such. It’s less energetic, more plodding. More like a red. Not as much in my zone.

2

I hope the NSA doesn’t forward this link to the FBI.

3

Where are these from Keith? Your terroirist friends want to know.

4

Keith,

Thanks for the props for my buddies Hardy and Matt.
They are making very good skin contact semillon.
I am so glad you enjoyed it. Hate it that there is so little out there to obtain.

I am really digging what Hardy is doing with these skin contact whites.
He is absolutely ruling now using those concrete eggs.

Congrats Dirty and Rowdy!

5

Don, how do you think that Sémillon would pair with Rowdy’s fried chicken?

6

Keith, you ever try Coenobium? If not I will dig one out for you sometime!

7

Should be an excellent pairing Paul.

8

Power is more intoxicating than anything we talk about here.

9

I am positive this is the justification a lot of nudists have, but sometimes, a little less skin showing can make the difference between “they all look alike” to “Wow! I didn’t know it tasted like THAT.” Matter of perspective, I guess.

10

I read that as “Keith did you ever try Conundrum” and I almost wet myself. [wow.gif]

11

I had this one not long ago and enjoyed.

  • 2011 Campogrande Cinque Terre - Italy, Liguria, Cinque Terre (11/26/2013)
    This was interesting. Dark yellow, light orange in color from the 4 days of skin maceration. Slightly hazy. Tart, dry and crisp with some citrus, ruby red grapefruit, apple and pear. Some herbs, almost a chicken broth note and some saline. Different, interesting and enjoyable. A blend of bosco and albarola.

Posted from CellarTracker

12

Thank you Keith and Don for the kind words. Rowdy and I are happy you are enjoying the Semillon.

The 11 may have got more attention, but Rowdy and I think the 12 is in a different universe from anything else we’ve put in bottle.

The site is ridiculously expressive and vibrant (and ripe) at almost sparkling numbers and I think all of us (Rowdy’s and Dirty’s) would agree that if we could own 1 of our 10 vineyards, this would be it.

Thanks again for the note.
Hardy