Description
This exciting Californian winery was created by Hardy (“Dirty”) Wallace and Matt (“Rowdy”) Richardson. Interested in charted a new course for California wine, they choose not to work with popular grapes like Cabernet or Chardonnay, initially purchasing organically grown Mourvèdre, Sémillon, and Petite Sirah. In Hardy’s words – “We love Cru Beaujolais, and we had this curiosity: What would happen if we treat California Mourvèdre the same way?” The operation runs out of the old Copain facility in Santa Rosa, where nearly 20 other winemakers rent space.
The Dirty & Rowdy MSG red blend is made from a blend of Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Grenache. This is how Erik Mercier from Juice Imports describes this wine – “This wine comes from the Chalone AVA adjacent to Pinnacle National Park. At 1700-1900 feet above sea level it benefits from drastic diurnal swings. Soils here are a hodgepodge of limestone, granite, and volcanic rocks. It is made from Mourvedre (41%), Syrah (39%), Grenache (10%), and other unnamed grapes (10%). The grapes were fermented whole cluster in open top tanks before being pressed into old barrel for élevage. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.”