No note on this wine on Berserkers? How can that be?
Hardy’s Mourvedres can be deceiving in that they don’t scream at you that they need time in the sense that they feel big-boned or tannic, but they almost always take a couple hours to really shine. Maybe that’s a Mourvedre thing, but it’s true with this wine.
This wine would be an excellent intro for anyone not familiar with D&R - and you can still find some for $20.
2017 Dirty and Rowdy Mourvèdre Old Vine Enz Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Lime Kiln Valley (10/29/2021)
Agree with Andrew’s note in CT. In a good spot, but needs a couple hours of air to really shine. Bright blackberry/cranberry fruit with a middle savouriness that shows some umami character with air as the wine becomes more complex and layered. Serious and contemplative while also being a fun drink. Not always easy to do.
Popped another 17 D&R Enz (along with Syrah Rose) yesterday as we always have some D&R open on turkey day.
Popped the bottle at 2pm for drinking around 6:00pm and it was banging. Best bottle yest. Deep and savory with dark fruit and a real leathery/earthy funk in the background. This is going to drink well for some time.
I picked up a couple of these from Cellar d’Or in Ithaca last summer and finally got around to trying one. Some reductive stink upon opening but after 15-20 minutes, it’s drinking beautifully. Very prominent strawberry notes on the nose and palate, just delicious. I cleaned out Saratoga Wine for their last 10 bottles after trying this. At the closeout price this is an absurd value.
FWIW, 2016 Antle Mourvèdre was beautiful last night. Gone is the sweet-tart nose and attack; now one of the most unusual profiles for this grape I’ve had - and really good.
I had the D&R 2019 “Familiar” Mourvèdre last night. Very nice. It seemed to be done with carbonic maceration and, I’m guessing, little sulfur. Very light in color and body, and boisterously fruity – not at all the texture I expect from mourvedre. I can’t find out any details about it. Anyone know how it’s made?
This.
At the end of D&R this was the wine we had to blow out. It is quite a deal.
Thank you, Jim. I need to try a '16 again. Currently, the 2013 Antle is a showstopper.
The Familiar was a blend of most of our Mourvèdre sites in CA intended for earlier (3-5 year) consumption, restaurants, pop 'n pour, etc. All the D&R mourvèdre were 100% whole cluster, aged in old 225-600L barrels, low SO2. The “Familiar” wines are good intro to how I worked with Mourvèdre at D&R. Most the vineyard designate D&Rs still had that freshness / brightness but more tannin, structure, cut.
Do you think there was some carbonic activity in the clusters? It certainly tasted that way.
As I said, it wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was delightful. And it was adaptable. I had a pork chop with a cider reduction, one friend had a hanger stake, and the other had branzino. The tannins were so mild that I think it worked with the fish as well as the meats.
You seem to judge the carbonic aspect better than most/all. I am not a fan of carbonic character in most wines, and yet love the D&R and Yeah! wines pretty much across the board.