TN: 2018 Dirty and Rowdy - Sémillon (USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville)

2018 Dirty and Rowdy Sémillon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville (12/8/2019)
– decanted for about one hour before first taste –
– tasted non-blind over 2 - 3 hours –

NOSE: light apple cider; Saison beer.

BODY: lightly hazy maize color of medium intensity; light bodied.

TASTE: lightly tangy — a bit tequila-like; light apple cider; Saison-esque; watery green grapes; alc. can be tasted a bit; pretty hollow on the mid and rear palates; difficult and frustrating today; hopefully this puts on weight and/or unfurls significantly with some cellar time because, as is, this is in the low 80s for me.

Have you had this Semillon before, Brian?

The 2014, yes; the 2018, no.

The last bottle I had (2014) I also compared to a beer (gose) in my TN.

Not a semillon I would recognise.

2018 Dirty and Rowdy Sémillon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville (1/30/2023)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over a couple days –

NOSE: very light; not much going on.

BODY: moderately hazy orange-pale yellow color; light bodied.

TASTE: lightly-flavored; a touch tart; tastes like a low-alc. fruity/slightly tart wild ale, but no mouse, brett, or funk. 11% alc. is hidden. No meaningful movement since my previous bottle in 2019. I continue to be baffled by this wine, which smells and tastes of very little.

Bob,
Although I never made Semillon skin-fermented, my tries at Ribolla Gialla and Sauvignon Blanc made me think these “orange” wines seldom smell or taste of the variety but rather, of the process. So I would not expect this wine to be recognizable as Semillon.
However, I have never tasted any of the D&R skin-fermented Semillons so have no direct experience.

I have had some skin-fermented Chardonnays that were typical but I suspect the wine did not ferment to dry on the skins but just got a limited exposure to the process.

The orange wines I’ve tried from any grape that ferment to dry on the skins really taste more like each other than the underlying grape.
Best, Jim