I had not ripped into a young D&R in some time, so I took one of these for a spin last night.
2018 Dirty and Rowdy Carignane Old Vine Rosewood Vineyards- USA, California, North Coast, Redwood Valley (4/27/2020)
Upfront juicy fruit, cranberry and raspberry bursts. Still very primary, it’s medium to light bodied, mouthwatering acidity and extremely crushable right now. After about 30 minutes it picked up a background briary/earthy note and I swear I was coaxing a smoked meat note in the background. It stiffins up a bit with air. It will most likely develop some nuance in time, and it needs it, but take it for a ride now and just have fun. Served on the cool side and let it warm in glass.
I get the structure is there, but it did not strike me as overly tannic/powerful. A lot of fruit still. I have 1/2 bottle remaining to check on tonight. Cheers, buddy, hope you are well!
2018 Dirty and Rowdy Carignane Old Vine Rosewood Vineyards- USA, California, North Coast, Redwood Valley (4/17/2020)
Opened with a very lively freshness and considerable interest. After a few minutes it shut down. Still OK, but muted. After three days in the fridge with a Repour, it emerged smooth, well-balanced with good length. Notes of red fruit. Drinks very well. The flavor sort of sneaks up behind you, not as in-your-face as many D&R cuvées. Still on the young side and needs some time to really show its stuff, so I’m letting my other bottles rest for a while.
Nice man, really great to hear!! Sitting on a few of these as the first one I tried shortly after release was not ready at all. Pumped to crack one of these soon - thanks for the update!