Picking out the “best” EWCY! wine? Yes, not an easy task because (a) they range from “really good” to “where has this been all my life?” and (b) they have such distinct personalities that ranking comparisons don’t really make a lot of sense. But I’ll have a go anyway, my personal choices only ofc:
• Best red: 2021 Mourvèdre Old Vines Evangelho. Absolutely stunning by any criterion you’d want to use. Words simply do not convey… so I’ll stick to two of them: F!ing magic.
• Best white: 2020 Chendawg II. Nothing short of astonishing. It takes a lot for a New World Chenin Blanc to compete in the same leagues as my beloved Savennières and Jasnières, yet this did it.
• Best rosé: My head says Summer Salters IV, my heart says Summer Salters III.
• Best Orange: um, that we even have a category for best orange! So far, Mountain Echoes for me.
I can agree with that 2021 Mourvèdre choice!
Hmm, I have 3 bottles of the 21 Evangelho but haven’t tried one yet. Sounds like that might need to be rectified, possibly tonight.
For reds, certainly Higher Love, but also 22 Partial Eclipse and 19 Love Language Glowing Red.
For Orange, i’ll echo your Mountain Echoes, and for Rose I’m going to go with SS-II. Of course SS is delicious off the truck but give it a couple years sideways for stars to start shooting out of the bottle.
The whites are delicious but have yet to teleport me into another plane like the reds.
Try a Chendawg II!
I agree with you in the sense that EWCY! whites seem to come from a completely different aesthetic than the reds. I find most of them cerebral rather than vins d’emotion as the phrase goes. But I also think they are their own unique beasts as well, to be encountered on their own terms.
Thanks everyone for the kind words. I had a bottle of Higher Love in Denver last week and it was really strutting.
@JohnMag I like this list!
My list changes all the time.
• Best single variety red: '21 Evangelho is the best Evangelho I’ve ever made. '23 Brosseau Grenache is what I am loving most in the current moment (it is exactly what I want to drink in this phase of my life). '23 Mariana’s Cab Franc is going to be up there (probably Holiday '25 release).
• Best white: 2020 Chendawg II- Hands down for me. I think '23 Mariana’s Chard is close behind.
• Best rosé: I’m '24 Summer Salters IV.
• Best Orange: 23 Heart and Hummingbird. (Available in Tasting room now, will put in the Fall Release). This is 85% Full King Crab III on skins (Chenin, Chard, Rous, Mars, Vio) + 15% Brosseau Grenache. 23 Bedrock Semillon is also a fav.
• Best Extradimensional Blend: Tough call for me- I think I’m 2021 Family Band, 2019 After Midnight, and 22 Figure Ground. I also echo @Vince_T calls w/ 19 Love Language and 22 Partial. 2020 Innervisions is also up there for me.
Though our library is pretty small, it would be nice to find a time this Summer- (late June or Mid July) to crack a bunch of these (and others). Thinking of a dinner in the private upstairs space at Valley Bar & Bottle in Sonoma…
If there is interest, zap me an email at hardy @ winecoyeah com and we can start putting together dates / wines.
Can’t wait. And I am not a big orange wine person.
You’re killing me. Wish I could get out there this summer.
Popped open a Figure Ground tonight, my first go at the latest shipment. It’s one of the wizardly blends, mourvedre, zin, carignane, primativo rose, and chardonnay.
- 2022 Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! Figure Ground - USA, California (5/15/2025)
What MartyL said! Dangnabbit, this is tasty juice. So joyful and fresh glou glou, but then you are hit with layers of complexity like the best cru Beaujolais - earth, clay, cherry pits, sage / lavender / provencal herbs tugging the edges of your senses, with an undertow of tidal funk, a very Hardy-quality with these blends. Surprising hard-core persistence on the mid-palate and finish - it lands like silk and goes on and on like a fine Pomerol, and at just 12.8% alcohol makes you realize that all those CA wines that say 16% alcohol is the price you pay for optimal mouthfeel and depth -- well, that's all just a bunch of jiggery-pokery.
I'm just going to quote Hardy's own tasting note here: "like chasing down a wild chicken, heart racing, feathers swirling, only to triumphantly raise it in the air and shout a triumphant YARRRGH! to the heavens." -- vibe on my celestial brother! (93 points)
Inspired by some recent posts to Figure-Ground. (Can I use it as a verb?)
Love the red-purple-orange color. Savory. Fennel seed. Petrichor. Juicy. Rhubarb. Just a hint of underripe blackberry.
Perfect pizza wine?
Sometimes you hit the jackpot when it comes to pairing wine with food and sometimes it’s very obvious. This was both!
2023 Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! Full King Crab lll with Crab Risotto! Yeah!!
PSA- If you’re on the mailing list (and most of you are), today’s the day to check your email. Almost like BD 
I had a group over to dig into all six wines in the latest release, and must say they are consistently wonderful, joyful, and( typically for Hardy) thought provoking
wines! The indie bookstore was my personal favorite, though that was a really hard call. All showing great with a bit of time in the decanter. Highly recommend stocking up!
Sorry to have missed this. Glad it went well and wines showed well. Fun stuff.
4 years since I last had one of these, and the aromatics and flavors are off the charts. Thrilling stuff, even if it doesn’t quite feel as “complete” in body/balance as some of the richer Mourvedre based wines. I give it a 96 for aromatics and flavors, and 93 overall.
Brad! Thank you so much for hosting this gathering and sharing the wines! So glad everyone dug the wines. This is a crazy lineup that we are so so stoked with.
Thanks for cracking one of these! I opened one about a year ago and it was 
I’ve only got about 6 bottles of this in my personal library. Would love to have a couple cases instead
2023 Brousseau Pinot Noir
I will swear on a stack of bibles that 1) I had no idea this was from the Chalone AVA until I looked at the back label the next morning and 2) my instantaneous reaction on the first sip of this was, “Hey, this tastes like a more elegant version of the old Chalone Vineyard pinots.” I’m not tooting my own horn, I’m tooting the wine’s - that’s a pretty impressive terroir display. The aroma is mostly on the stony side with some wisps of cherry candy and white chocolate. It’s slightly gassy (not to the point of needing the Mollydooker shake - a splash decant suffices) and firm on the entry without being as rustic as those old Chalones. But it is actually a notch or two more rustic than most of those EWCY mourvedres, which is pretty weird when you think about it. Other than that, though, the weirdest thing about this is how weird it’s not. This is pretty classic pinot.
Regardless of the grape, that Chalone terroir is always right there, rising from the glass. IMHO it is one of the most distinctive terroirs in the US.
Pic is from the Pinnacles National Park Campground on the backside of Chalone (San Benito side)
This bottle (the last of my 70’s Chalone Pinots) was the spark that got us working with Pinot from Brosseau. It’s got that same soul—rustic like a Big Sur cabin, but with a priceless view. Not trying to re-create this, but to stay inline with that Chalone / Pinnacles / Condor energy
Thanks for catching that in the wine, Keith. Means a lot.
Brosseau and the Chalone AVA are about 1.5mi from the high peaks (as the crow flies)
it’s probably been about 6 or 7 years since i last hiked the Pinnacles, I think we are due for another visit.
FWIW, I’ve learned my lesson on your Barberas now… they’re gulpable and provide a lot of fun zing in their first year or two, but blossom into something truly special after a few years. I don’t think I’ve had any Italian Barberas that have developed in the same way, not even Giacosa or Cogno… Not sure if it’s the terroir, the treatment, or what (but I’ve found Bedrock’s Shake Ridge Barbera to evolve this way as well).