Found the producer in the late 2000s at San Francisco’s Arlequin Wine store when they were pouring some of the wines for a tasting. Started buying their wines again recently and this one is certainly a winner. 13.5% alc, “natural”, 98% Cinsault (2% syrah), from the Sierra Foothills in CA. I think it qualifies as hipster!
2014 Clos Saron Cinsault Out of the Blue- USA, California (12/26/2019)
This was mouthwateringly delicious with dry-aged prime rib for Christmas. Tart blackcurrant and herbs with a long finish. Very fine tannin.
Yup, I like the PN too. I think my favorite is still the old Heart of Stone Syrah though. Had a spectacular 2004 a few months back (my last bottle).
Brian, do I get extra credit if I open a Jolie-Laide Trousseau Gris? It matches both example producers and varietals from your list I could say the same for Dirty & Rowdy Mourvedres, but that just seems too obvious/easy!
If 100% Counoise from a fairly mainstream producer counts:
2017 Tablas Creek Counoise (12/25/19). Bright, see-through red. Very pretty in the glass actually. Light to medium bodied. Nose is predominantly red fruited - strawberry, cherry, cranberry. Tastes largely the same with soft red fruits, but with a fair amount of spice, and touch of vanilla sweetness on the finish that I attribute to oak (though the bottle says neutral oak). Decent acidity. I liked it quite a bit actually, and it paired well with holiday fare. Made me wonder if this is what an Italian Beaujolais would taste like.
I came across this wine by accident. I’d previously tried a Mourdevre from the Enz Vineyard when I hosted a wine tasting and thought it was quite interesting, so I was seeking out other wines from that vineyard. Along came this wine, made with a variety I’d never heard of before - autobuy! A little research and it’s not entirely clear whether this is truly Gros Verdot or Cabernet Pfeffer or whether they are synonymous in this vineyard. Doesn’t really matter, because the wine is delicious!
Colour is very pale purple-red. Aromas are sticks and red berries. Hints of peppercorn. Palate is light as well. Sappy red fruit, peppery finish. Not all that complex, but there’s a savoury note that keeps drawing me back in. I like this style of wine (not all that dissimilar from the Grand Clere above), but it’s about as polar opposite as you can get from the big heavy Paso Robles style.
I don’t know if this will qualify. It was free, and gifted to me by a hipster’esque friend. As for “challenging me” it certainly did.
1987 Joseph Drouhin Chardonnay Bourgogne Blanc Laforet- France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc (12/25/2019)
This was gifted from a friend that got it from a family member’s cellar that passed away. There was no expectation of the wine still being sound at 32 years old. However, for about 5 minutes this wine actually was enjoyable. As one might expect there was a dominant note of butterscotch, poached pears, and honeycomb. The wine was clearly oxidized, but for a brief moment in time I could see what this might have been like if it were opened 10 years earlier.
This one’s a Syrah, but certainly in a low alcohol style (12.9%). Whole cluster, no oak, acid-driven. There’s a thread just on this wine highlighting the controversy with bottle variation, so I figure it counts as hipster:
2017 Pax Syrah Sonoma Hillsides- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (12/26/2019)
Definitely not a flawed bottle, and also nothing like Jaylew1’s experience.
Nose of black olive, pepper, and roasted pork. Palate adds some blackberries to the mix. There’s a bit of a green note too from the whole cluster. High acid and medium fine tannin, but certainly not overpowering or way out of balance. Pretty good!
Purchased from K&L. I hope my 2 remaining bottles are similarly solid.
I love how I can grab nearly any Jolie-Laide wine, regardless of vintage or variety and be assured that when I pop the cork it’s going to deliver. Great labels too, different each variety each vintage.
Hipster checklist:
Young winemaker
Artsy label
Non-mainstream variety
Alcohol 12%
Synthetic cork
2017 Jolie-Laide Gamay Noir Barsotti Vineyards- USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County (12/27/2019)
This one comes out of the gate with lots of cinnamon, anise and strawberry hard candy on the nose. Wonderfull freshness, full of life. Creamy entry, sour cherry fills the mouth, shows off some steely minerality and a nice acid lift. Finishes with some gritty tannin. Fun wine.
2018 Dirty and Rowdy Chenin Blanc
Very light yellow in the glass with an aroma of tangerines, ginger and a subtle hint of anise. There’s a good hit of mouth coating lemon pith, more tangerine and honeydew melon all wrapped up with medium acidity and a medium long finish.
2015 Sandlands Chenin Blanc Amador County. My first Sandlands; it took time to get on that list and to this day the wines I “wish for” aren’t granted. So be it. Based on 2 days of tasting. Yellow gold, a few bubbles on day 1. Rim variation consistent with age; fast legs. Aromas are fruit and white flower dominant: lemon, lime, quince, maybe peach blossom. Definite honey. There are hints of light toast, stoniness, hay and biscuit. On the palate, crisp, clean, more defined fruits and honey. Medium body, bright texture. Medium plus finish, medium acidity. Impression: varietally correct Chenin, balanced, but falls short of complex. At $32 with tax and shipping, QPR is below average. Will consider future vintages of reds, but for Chenin, my frugal soul will aim for South Africa.
I’m not much of a hipster, so this was the best I could do:
2017 Dirty and Rowdy Mourvedre Old Vine Evangelho Vineyard
Contra Costa County
12/27/2019 - I LIKE THIS WINE: 94 points
Old vine Mourvèdre from one of the world’s great vineyards. 13.3% abv. Dark ruby, expressive aromatics. Raspberry and red cherry, accented with mint, spice and a floral element. Great balance and depth but lively and energetic. Grippy. Should age well, but great now. Winner.
Happy to contribute $100 to the Mechanics fund Brian - thanks for doing this!
Cheers to you Brian and thanks for contributing to this cause.
I grew up with the “hippies” and I have also met a few “hip dudes” in my life, but the term “hipster wine” was a new one for me. Brian gave me an explanation that helped out with the wines. I also googled for more info about what the word “hipster” now means. I discovered fairly quickly that I am not a hipster. I am OK with that. For a wine, I saw “Pet Nat” being mentioned more than once as possibly hipster. Never had one of these and they sounded intriguing. It’s based on an old method of making sparkling wine (méthode ancestrale) which in recent years has seen a big revival, a new name (Pétillant Naturel), and more than a little hype. I managed to find a bottle that did not look too scary, and it is my pick for this week’s charity “hipster wine" virtual tasting. François Pinon Pétillant Naturel Brut, NV 50% Cot, 50% Grolleau, 12.5% ABV, Loire, France
The bottle itself is kind of retro looking with an exposed wired cork, and an understated monochrome label that matches the wine’s pale salmon color. The bottle’s presentation seems to announce: “This is hip, baby!” We first had a glass of the wine by itself. Bubbles quickly sped upwards and frothed at the surface. We let the wine sit in the glasses for a minute - colorful little table-top fountains bubbling away! I probed the wine’s surface with my sniffer, but came up empty. My first taste was hesitant, as if approaching the unknown. No need for fear, this is very pleasant. The mouthfeel is frothy, the taste is dry and fruity. As the bubbles slow down and the chill falls off, a more prominent and very tasty fruit flavor profile shows up. After all this is 50% Cot (aka Malbec) and 50% Grolleau (think Rose d’Anjou). Imagine a Sparkling Malbec! Yikes! Sounds like a horror show, but the Loire version (Cot) is on the lighter and fruitier side with a distinctive pleasant aftertaste that shows up here and fits well with the almost sweet (but not) Grolleau profile. I don’t think this would compete with a good Rose Champagne for people in the know, but I think it would appeal to a wide range of non-geek wine drinkers, curious wine-geeks, and ( obviously ) hipsters!
Merry end of holidays to everybody.
Time to take down the Christmas lights and turn the page on another year.
Added December 31
Recorked with one of those silicone stoppers. Still very fresh after 48 hours. Really enjoying the last of this! Recommended!
Went to a Champagne tasting today, but still managed to get my hipster going.
2016 Dirty and Rowdy Mourvedre Old Vine Enz Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Lime Kiln Valley (12/29/2019)
18 months since my first bottle, and this is still exuberant and primary. Fresh, fruity and fun to drink, it’s sort of a Beaujolais of Mourvèdre.
NV José Michel & Fils Champagne Cuvée du Père Houdart- France, Champagne (12/27/2019)
Much like my last go with this wine. This time I got a more cohesive look. The more complex solera notes seemed more integrated with the freshness of the young wine. I wouldn’t call it harmonious but it mostly works. Reminiscent of Bollinger Special Cuvee with the more woody, oxidative type of thing married to brighter, fresher expression. Held up great over night. Good stuff.
I could say the same for Dirty & Rowdy Mourvedres, but that just seems too obvious/easy!
