Exciting Arrivals from California: Three Mourvèdres and a Pair of Great Grenaches!

4/2/15 -

Dirty & Rowdy's Hardy Wallace is one of the hardest working (not to mention nicest) winemakers in the business. His expressive lineup of Mourvèdre wines (eight of them) alone requires consistent travel from the winery in Santa Rosa, California to far-flung parcels around California's Santa Barbara, Monterey, Contra Costa, Mendocino, El Dorado, and Amador Counties. Dirty & Rowdy’s reds are hard to come by and we rarely, if ever, get to enjoy more than one at a time. So when a trio of long-gone whole cluster fermented Mourvèdres came our way, we jumped at the chance to offer them to you today (and revisit them ourselves)! Dirty & Rowdy's reputation for brisk, jubilant, natural wines with refreshing fruit and moderate alcohol often eclipses their impressive power and herbaceous depth. All of these wines will benefit from hours (often days) of air and make brilliant additions to your lamb and brisket feasts this weekend.

When spring arrives and grills start flaring, there is no greater accompaniment to grilled meats, poultry, and vegetables than Grenache from very old vines. They are food friendly and thirst quenching, with the sort of dimension and complexity that only old vines can confer. Chris Brockway makes his Broc Cellars Cassia "Grenache(s)" from Mendocino's Gibson Ranch, where the 100+ year old vines are believed by different winemakers to be Grenache Gris, Grenache Noir, or both. Pax Mahle of Wind Gap is more frequently associated with elegant, evocative Syrahs and Pinot Noirs, but his old vine Grenache is downright lovely, from 85+ year old, head trained vines planted in the sandy soils of Sonoma's Sceales Vineyard. Please find detailed notes below for all of these wines and some of our favorite whites from these producers as well. Cheers! Ariana Rolich