There’s a good chance you’ve heard of Hardy Wallace and Dirty & Rowdy Family Wines. The labels, for one thing, are unforgettable, featuring cartoon images of Wallace and his business partner, Matt Richardson, in various fantastical situations: tromping through the woods with Sasquatch; paddling a canoe downriver like Lewis & Clark; chugging along in a tiny choo-choo train.
Then there’s Wallace himself, whose free-spirited personality and considerable social media skills have attracted a torrent of press. And of course, there are the wines—an eclectic mix from more than a dozen California vineyards—which, as Ian Cauble and I experienced firsthand, live up to the hype. Perhaps you’ve seen these wines around, or read about them, and wondered what the fuss was about: If so, today’s special three-pack is a chance to get acquainted with one of the most interesting producers in California today. Wallace logs tens of thousands of miles in his car every year in search of the best source material he can possibly find—from Monterey to Mendocino to Contra Costa County, he’s an indefatigable hunter—and he has become, among other things, something of a ‘Mourvèdre whisperer.’ Today’s three-pack, which Ian and I put together after an epic afternoon tasting with Hardy, includes his “Familiar Blanc,” a white blend based on Sémillon, and two single-vineyard Mourvèdre bottlings. These are delicious, naturally made wines that are full of energy and great varietal purity—cool
and good, which is a great combination. If you’re interested in a fresh perspective on California wine, this is an assortment you must try.
Since it was first established in 2010, Dirty & Rowdy has come a long way fast. In addition to being a poster child for natural winemaking in California (within the lineup are several ‘zero-zero’ bottlings made without any sulfur), Wallace has assembled an impressive array of vineyard sources, most all of them organically farmed and many of them quite historic. The two Mourvèdre wines in today’s three-pack come from special spots—the “Antle Vineyard,” an organically farmed site at 1900 feet in Monterey’s limestone-rich Chalone AVA; and the “Evangelho Vineyard” in Contra Costa County, a heritage site in sandy soils that features 120-year-old, own-rooted, bush-trained Mourvèdre vines. Just to give you a sense of Wallace’s lifestyle during harvest, the Evangelho and Antle vineyards are more than 150 miles from one another.
This is the model for upstart California wineries like Dirty & Rowdy. Unless you’re the scion of an established, land-owning wine family (or otherwise independently wealthy), you’re not likely to afford any vineyards of your own. It’s all about developing relationships with established growers. Further, it’s not always possible to work with big-name, big-ticket grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Wallace landed on Mourvèdre (he now makes nine different expressions) largely because he managed to find source material that was (a) affordable and (b) of exceptional quality. As he said in an interview a few years back, “If you're searching out and open to different flavor profiles, different soil profiles, different grape varieties, there's a lot more than Cabernet, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay out there in the world.”
Indeed there is, starting with the white Sémillon, one of Wallace’s most cherished adoptees. The 2018 “Familiar Blanc” contains 55% Sémillon, most of it from 55-year-old, dry farmed-vines in Yountville, and it drives a textural wine that hints at white Bordeaux but ultimately goes off in more exotic directions. There’s Viognier and Muscat in the “Familiar” blend lending floral and tropical notes, along with 16% Chenin Blanc contributing raciness. It was partially skin-fermented, but it isn’t an “orange” wine; the inclusion of skins lent it a little hint of kombucha tea and some tannin, but otherwise it’s defined by bright, fresh flavors: a little citrus oil, yellow pear, and white flowers.
Then there are the two Mourvèdres, both showing great varietal purity—the purple-fruited, lavender-scented character shows through in both, although the old-vine “Evangelho” bottling shows more dense concentration than the fine-grained, perfumed “Antle.” It is fascinating to taste them side-by-side—same grape, same winery, but two markedly different expressions, with no adornments necessary. Both wines are still young, and because Wallace seeks to minimize his use of sulfur, you’ll find that they benefit greatly from some time open. If enjoying them now, decant about an hour before consuming in large Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees (it will allow any trapped CO2 in the wine to dissipate and enable the wine to knit together and show more breadth and fruit). I do think these reds are more than capable of aging—and will likely improve over 5-7+ years—but they’re so lively and delicious I don’t know if anyone will be waiting. They represent a new paradigm in “ageworthy” red wine—neither heavily tannic or extracted, these wines will age because they have freshness and balance. Like the best classical examples of Bandol Rouge, they have dark-fruited power but also an herbal, floral aromatic component that lifts them up and gives them wings.
As for food pairings, the “Familiar Blanc” would be a great foil for a slightly spicy Thai chicken
salad, while the Mourvèdre wines, especially the Evangelho, should get something meaty. If you can pull off the attached recipe, you can transport yourself to Provence without leaving the house. And if you didn’t know Dirty & Rowdy before, now you know. Enjoy!
