March 5, 2024 - A lot lot lot better with enough time.
December 24, 2022 - Superb wine from Hardy
January 22, 2022 - Really interesting blend of red and white grapes - 63% Old Vine Mourvèdre, 18% Old Vine Semillon, 13% Old Vine Chenin Blanc, 3% Zinfandel, 3% Old Vine Barbera coming from San Benito, Contra Costa, Amador, Napa, Mendocino, Sonoma Counties. Decanted. Very tight for at least 2h after decant. Note is 4.5h after decant. Aromas of tart jolly rancher cherries and raspberries, herbs, cinammon, and bark. Palate also has prominent tart jolly rancher cherries and raspberries, mixed with herbs, bark, lemon. Bright acids and mild tannins on a medium body. Nice finish of fruit, anise, herbs and earth. Complex with a lot going on. This is a really well made wine and by those merits, it's worth a 92 score. But the prominence of tart, candied jolly rancher fruit flavors here are also what was present through all the reds in Dirty & Rowdy wines. I'm the finding that prominence of the tart, candied flavor throws the wine off balance and I love jolly rancher candies. But that's not what I'm looking for in wine. So in summary, Objectively, 92. Enjoyment-wise 89.
January 14, 2022 - Two hour splash decant, though I did sneak a couple of early sips. I have waxed rhapsodic about Hardy’s wines in the past, including another 2019 YEAH! cuvée. I could do the same here, as the ‘After Midnight’ is complex, intellectually fascinating and also delicious. I could describe the ever-changing aromatic tableau that spans from wild berries to campfire embers. I could even write about the lifted yet finely balanced structure that propels flavors across the palate like a spaceship bound for the edge of the galaxy.
I could do that, but…err…oh…I guess I did.
December 31, 2021 - Heck yeah, light as a full moon on a cloudless night. That's a metaphor. Or a simile. Dang. Surprisingly deep plum ruby color. Earthy cherry cinnamon nose with hints of green Cali forests, a touch of pucker and sour cherry palate, lingering a while. Really fun and easy drinking while offering plenty to contemplate.
December 9, 2021 - Very interesting wine that also happens to be enjoyable. Ripe and concentrated but not at all overblown, this is a relatively lithe package showing a fruit salad of red-and-dark-berry flavors. Quite expressive. No idea what age will do to it.
November 20, 2021 - Strawberry jam on the nose, watermelon jolly rancher and neon-tinged strawberries on the palate. The finish is short and clean.
This is a light wine in many senses of the word, but is interesting and tasty tonight. Slow-ox'd for a few hours before a light dinner of split-pea soup and rosemary bread. I'd probably serve this with charcuterie and cheeses next time.
A marked improvement from the first bottle I opened. The extra air absolutely helps.
November 12, 2021 - Pale red. Light to medium body. Very interesting mix of grapes. Better on first night ( about 1.5 hrs of decant ) than the second night.
November 7, 2021 - Crunchy red fruit with some intriguing odd-to-pin-down herbal aromas too. Unlike my first bottle, which sang most loudly on the first night only to become more subtle over the course of the next 24 hours, this second bottle was a little shy on night one, blossoming on night 2 and showing most complexity on night 3, when that pyrazine thing gained force. Good stuff.
October 26, 2021 - Very young. Big strawberry with white pepper. A bit simple right now.
After some air…
Very linear, bright acidity. Strawberry bubblegum with a tart orange peel note.
If you like key chains and T shirts over wine quality, this one is for you.