Over seven years since I last tried this wine. Remember when we thought of Dirty & Rowdy wines as shorter to mid-term wines? This one is clearly built to go the distance. As typical with Petite Sirah it has a tannic snarl, but it also has fruit, ripe cherry on the front, and a cleansing bitter cherry on the finish, that stands up to the tannins, and is deep enough to stand toe to toe with the teeth for a long time to come. Sampled over three hours it picked up black tea and brushy herbal notes to go al9ng with the fruit, and never let the tannins get out ahead. I have one more bottle, and I hope to let it sit for another seven (or more) years to see what will happen.
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Medium purplish ruby red in appearance. Lovely and bright on the nose with blueberries, lilacs and savory herbs. Medium body with mouth watering acidity and medium minus tannins. Similar notes on the palate with a hint of savory herbs, metal and freshness throughout. Long finish. Drink till 2031.
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Surprising turn about on this wine. On release and even for 7 years after, this wine was cloistered inside its structure. Like a damsel in distress that you cannot hear the faintest whisper. But it really has finally become how it was made, a petite made like a gamay. Still bristling with its tannin, but a core of fresh and raspy red fruits, licorice, and fresh herb leave you chomping on this cracklling wine. At 9 years this wine has finally become almost primary. With the tannin and acid, I would guess this is still going nowhere terribly fast
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-- decanted approx. 40 min. before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over 1.75 hrs on Day 1; revisited on Day 4 --
NOSE: red-fruited; carbonic/tingly; light herbs; expressive; no obvious tertiary characteristics.
BODY: garnet-tinged violet color of medium to medium-deep depth; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: tannic; flashy; medium-light concentration of flavor; black licorice, dark raspberry, and gentle garrigue (not funky) on the finish; a little carbonic character; after 2 hrs of the bottle being open it tightened-up, the oak stepped forward, and the tannins intensified. Quite light/elegant for a Petite Sirah. Oxidized on Day 4. Score from Day 1. Drink Now and over the medium term.
50, 5, 12, 16, 7 = 90
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Vertical of D&R Fred and Dora's Vineyard Petite Sirah.
Decanted for two hours. Less voluptuous than I associate the grape with; which is in keeping with this producer's style. Black currants, motor oil, orange peel, fresh green herbs and a hint of VA on the nose. Flavors are consistent with the aromas minus the motor oil, and a note of cumin/coriander emerges toward the end of the palate.
This wine is on the lighter side for PS, call it medium body; but the aromas and especially the flavors are pretty intense! Nice, crisp, medium + acid here too - again, not what I expect from the grape but totally what I expect from the producer.
I would say drink this now; and it won't benefit from further aging. At the same time, I don't think it will get any worse in the next 2-4 years either.
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Not significantly changed since release although those few years in bottle have given the fruit a light flambé and singed it around the edges. The fruit is among the most civilized you'll see for the grape, dark-toned but restrained in weight and well within the typical D&R parameters. The structure, though, is leaning much more heavily on the tannin, which is a bit edgy, than the acids so you don't get that lipsmacking drinkability. Still, this has held on well through 6 years in bottle and isn't giving any indication it won't keep holding on, so with any more luck a few more years can put it in a nice spot.
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Everything ends eventually, and wineries are no exception. RIP Dirty & Rowdy.
This wasn't my favourite D+R wine. If "balanced" is a 33/33/33 mix of fruit/acid/tannin, then this was more like 50/35/15. Could have used a little less in-your-face fruit and a little more structure. Still, it was perfectly enjoyable with a grilled strip loin, grilled potatoes and green beans from the garden.
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PnP. Very drinkable already. Spice, funk, and a melange of aromas in the nose. Velvety tannins and lively in the mid-palette. This is a thinking man’s weekday sipper. Will check back in with this in a couple days.
Deep purple color. Mostly blue fruit on palate. It's ok but not really my jam. Interesting intellectually to get these aromatics and depth of flavor at 11.9% for sure.
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Had this over 2 nights, tight and unyielding on 1st night, evolved quite nicely into 2nd day. Served slightly chilled and paired well with BBQ fare. Notes of crunchy blueberries and blackberries, watermelon, a some light spice tones. Sublimely deep and tasty, with soft fine tannins, medium acidity and a moderately lasting finish. (91+)
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Bright plum and raspberry nose. Medium weight, very grapey (think concord) and otherwise blue fruit profile, with a stern tannic frame. Good body, and a lot to like, but simple at this point.
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As usual for Dirty & Rowdy, this is an unusual wine. About the only thing that initially says Petite Sirah is the deep purple color. There is a rusticity to the wine that echoes Petite Sirah as well, but this reminds me more of a Wind Gap Syrah than any other Petite Sirah I have ever tasted. The fruit moves between raspberry and blueberry, and a licorice/herbal accent adds complexity. It's a bit monolithic on the finish, likely young Petite Sirah asserting itself again, but this is built more on acids than tannins, so it confounds yet again. I like this wine because it forces me to think. It does not want to be put into a box, and every time I try to do that it jumps out, changing the face it shows in the glass. Despite the very low alcohol (11.9%) there is plenty of body, so I will try to lay down my remaining bottles for a few years to let them develop and knit together a bit more.
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This is going to sound like a broken record.....but what a unique, interesting....and crazy good wine! First off, let’s address the elephant in the room. An old vine Petite Sirah....at under 12% ABV. I mean....really!?!? How does that even happen??
That being said, this was a really fun wine that (just like all the other D&R wine’s I’ve had) was freaking delicious, and WAY too easy to drink. Really nice dusty, sweet blue fruits on the nose, that doesn't necessarily scream Petite Sirah (maybe more like lighter zin??). I can't quite say it's exactly like anything I've smelled before, but it's definitely different than the Especial Mourvedre I had the other night (which was also awesome). On the palate, this lives up to the nose in that it’s incredibly smooth, with mouth-watering acidity, and a very “pure” expression of blue fruits. Tannins are definitely present on the end, but not overpowering. I’d guess that this wine could easily age for 5+ years (or more) and probably gain some complexity, but there’s no harm in drinking one now if you have multiples. Again, this is definitely unlike any other PS that I’ve ever had, but I’m really, really digging it.
Great stuff Hardy – here’s a virtual “bro-hug” for you for making another kick-ass wine. Wish I had more than the 1 remaining in the cellar!
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12/7/2023 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Over seven years since I last tried this wine. Remember when we thought of Dirty & Rowdy wines as shorter to mid-term wines? This one is clearly built to go the distance. As typical with Petite Sirah it has a tannic snarl, but it also has fruit, ripe cherry on the front, and a cleansing bitter cherry on the finish, that stands up to the tannins, and is deep enough to stand toe to toe with the teeth for a long time to come. Sampled over three hours it picked up black tea and brushy herbal notes to go al9ng with the fruit, and never let the tannins get out ahead. I have one more bottle, and I hope to let it sit for another seven (or more) years to see what will happen.
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11/13/2023 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 90 Points
Medium purplish ruby red in appearance. Lovely and bright on the nose with blueberries, lilacs and savory herbs. Medium body with mouth watering acidity and medium minus tannins. Similar notes on the palate with a hint of savory herbs, metal and freshness throughout. Long finish. Drink till 2031.
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10/3/2023 - yossarian.livez wrote: 90 Points
Surprising turn about on this wine. On release and even for 7 years after, this wine was cloistered inside its structure. Like a damsel in distress that you cannot hear the faintest whisper. But it really has finally become how it was made, a petite made like a gamay. Still bristling with its tannin, but a core of fresh and raspy red fruits, licorice, and fresh herb leave you chomping on this cracklling wine. At 9 years this wine has finally become almost primary. With the tannin and acid, I would guess this is still going nowhere terribly fast
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4/15/2023 - grafstrb wrote: 90 Points
-- decanted approx. 40 min. before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 1.75 hrs on Day 1; revisited on Day 4 --
NOSE: red-fruited; carbonic/tingly; light herbs; expressive; no obvious tertiary characteristics.
BODY: garnet-tinged violet color of medium to medium-deep depth; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: tannic; flashy; medium-light concentration of flavor; black licorice, dark raspberry, and gentle garrigue (not funky) on the finish; a little carbonic character; after 2 hrs of the bottle being open it tightened-up, the oak stepped forward, and the tannins intensified. Quite light/elegant for a Petite Sirah. Oxidized on Day 4. Score from Day 1. Drink Now and over the medium term.
50, 5, 12, 16, 7 = 90
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4/2/2023 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine: 89 Points
Vertical of D&R Fred and Dora's Vineyard Petite Sirah.
Decanted for two hours. Less voluptuous than I associate the grape with; which is in keeping with this producer's style. Black currants, motor oil, orange peel, fresh green herbs and a hint of VA on the nose. Flavors are consistent with the aromas minus the motor oil, and a note of cumin/coriander emerges toward the end of the palate.
This wine is on the lighter side for PS, call it medium body; but the aromas and especially the flavors are pretty intense! Nice, crisp, medium + acid here too - again, not what I expect from the grape but totally what I expect from the producer.
I would say drink this now; and it won't benefit from further aging. At the same time, I don't think it will get any worse in the next 2-4 years either.
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9/26/2021 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 88 Points
Not significantly changed since release although those few years in bottle have given the fruit a light flambé and singed it around the edges. The fruit is among the most civilized you'll see for the grape, dark-toned but restrained in weight and well within the typical D&R parameters. The structure, though, is leaning much more heavily on the tannin, which is a bit edgy, than the acids so you don't get that lipsmacking drinkability. Still, this has held on well through 6 years in bottle and isn't giving any indication it won't keep holding on, so with any more luck a few more years can put it in a nice spot.
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9/6/2021 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Everything ends eventually, and wineries are no exception. RIP Dirty & Rowdy.
This wasn't my favourite D+R wine. If "balanced" is a 33/33/33 mix of fruit/acid/tannin, then this was more like 50/35/15. Could have used a little less in-your-face fruit and a little more structure. Still, it was perfectly enjoyable with a grilled strip loin, grilled potatoes and green beans from the garden.
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2/7/2020 - rc@ughey wrote: 86 Points
Tasty but not particularly distinguished D&R wine here. Rustic.
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2/25/2019 - MillerRoad Does not like this wine:
Started out well, but was very bitter by the end. Almost tasted defective.
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9/17/2018 - domco wrote:
corked? pretty musty on the nose. tastes better than it smells but isn't great. bummer...
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7/18/2018 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP. Very drinkable already. Spice, funk, and a melange of aromas in the nose. Velvety tannins and lively in the mid-palette. This is a thinking man’s weekday sipper. Will check back in with this in a couple days.
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5/12/2018 - asteff wrote: 87 Points
I get tart cherry, dust, and acid. I was hoping for something a little more compelling.
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5/12/2018 - mreinhard74@gmail.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Sharp acid and bit left heft than one might expect from a petit Syrah. Lots of dark fruits with plum coming to the front. Nice.
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8/26/2017 - R.H. wrote:
Deep purple color. Mostly blue fruit on palate. It's ok but not really my jam. Interesting intellectually to get these aromatics and depth of flavor at 11.9% for sure.
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8/11/2017 - DRS-Inc wrote: 91 Points
Had this over 2 nights, tight and unyielding on 1st night, evolved quite nicely into 2nd day. Served slightly chilled and paired well with BBQ fare. Notes of crunchy blueberries and blackberries, watermelon, a some light spice tones. Sublimely deep and tasty, with soft fine tannins, medium acidity and a moderately lasting finish. (91+)
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11/11/2016 - psmith wrote: 87 Points
Bright plum and raspberry nose. Medium weight, very grapey (think concord) and otherwise blue fruit profile, with a stern tannic frame. Good body, and a lot to like, but simple at this point.
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5/2/2016 - Rieslingfan wrote:
As usual for Dirty & Rowdy, this is an unusual wine. About the only thing that initially says Petite Sirah is the deep purple color. There is a rusticity to the wine that echoes Petite Sirah as well, but this reminds me more of a Wind Gap Syrah than any other Petite Sirah I have ever tasted. The fruit moves between raspberry and blueberry, and a licorice/herbal accent adds complexity. It's a bit monolithic on the finish, likely young Petite Sirah asserting itself again, but this is built more on acids than tannins, so it confounds yet again. I like this wine because it forces me to think. It does not want to be put into a box, and every time I try to do that it jumps out, changing the face it shows in the glass. Despite the very low alcohol (11.9%) there is plenty of body, so I will try to lay down my remaining bottles for a few years to let them develop and knit together a bit more.
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3/20/2016 - RichEB1 Likes this wine:
This is going to sound like a broken record.....but what a unique, interesting....and crazy good wine! First off, let’s address the elephant in the room. An old vine Petite Sirah....at under 12% ABV. I mean....really!?!? How does that even happen??
That being said, this was a really fun wine that (just like all the other D&R wine’s I’ve had) was freaking delicious, and WAY too easy to drink. Really nice dusty, sweet blue fruits on the nose, that doesn't necessarily scream Petite Sirah (maybe more like lighter zin??). I can't quite say it's exactly like anything I've smelled before, but it's definitely different than the Especial Mourvedre I had the other night (which was also awesome). On the palate, this lives up to the nose in that it’s incredibly smooth, with mouth-watering acidity, and a very “pure” expression of blue fruits. Tannins are definitely present on the end, but not overpowering. I’d guess that this wine could easily age for 5+ years (or more) and probably gain some complexity, but there’s no harm in drinking one now if you have multiples. Again, this is definitely unlike any other PS that I’ve ever had, but I’m really, really digging it.
Great stuff Hardy – here’s a virtual “bro-hug” for you for making another kick-ass wine. Wish I had more than the 1 remaining in the cellar!
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