Denner Vineyards Dirt Worshipper Paso Robles CA, USA
As I write this I am sipping on this afternoon's pre-arrival feature, a phenomenal syrah blend that has me swooning! Until recently a cellar-door exclusive, it has recently been released into the market in small quantities, and we are so lucky to have access to a few cases. If you love silky smooth, complex, fruit- and terroir-driven red wines that you can enjoy the moment you pop the cork OR cellar for the next 7 to 10 years, this is YOUR wine!
Denner Vineyards founder Ron Denner's wayward youth prompted his father, in a moment of frustration, to declare that Ron would spend his life digging ditches if he didn't get his act together. In an ironic twist of fate, Ron ended up building a ditch-digging empire, establishing and owning Ditch Witch dealerships in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. He never intended to switch careers until he fell in love with wine.
Ron's love affair with the fermented juice led him to purchase 100 acres in Paso Robles. After recruiting John Crossland, formerly of Beckstoffer Vineyards, to design and plant his vineyards, building a gravity flow winery, and working with some consulting winemakers to get his first vintages off the ground, he hired recent enology graduate Anthony Yount as his head winemaker. Together, Ron and Anthony developed a house style that embodied Old-World tradition with New-World elegance. Today, Anthony is the consultant working with current head winemaker Mark Williams to craft disctinctive, award-winning wines prized by fans all over the world.
The 2021 Denner Vineyards Dirt Worshipper, an homage to Ron's father, is a blend of 88% syrah, 7% petit verdot, 4% graciano, and 1% viognier aged for 18 months in a combination of new and seasoned French and Hungarian barriques. Powerful aromas of violets, blueberries, sarsaparilla, Kalamata olive, and wild mint exude from the glass. The mid-palate is dripping with blackberry, hoisin, white pepper, Spanish chorizo and dark chocolate notes that evolve into a rich mouthfeel and stunningly long finish. (winery notes)
Check out the press!
98 points, Jeb Dunnuck:
"A more syrah-dominated release, the 2021 Dirt Worshipper is textbook syrah magic with is peppery, gamey dark fruits, iron, tapenade, sandalwood, and violet-laced aromas and flavors. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, has a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. Based on 88% syrah, 7% petit verdot, 4% graciano, and 1% viognier that was fermented with 40% whole clusters and aged 20 months in 25% new French and Hungarian oak, it will probably merit a triple-digit rating in 4-5 years, and I’d be happy to put this up with the best syrahs out there."
"A more syrah-dominated release, the 2021 Dirt Worshipper is textbook syrah magic with is peppery, gamey dark fruits, iron, tapenade, sandalwood, and violet-laced aromas and flavors. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, has a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. Based on 88% syrah, 7% petit verdot, 4% graciano, and 1% viognier that was fermented with 40% whole clusters and aged 20 months in 25% new French and Hungarian oak, it will probably merit a triple-digit rating in 4-5 years, and I’d be happy to put this up with the best syrahs out there."
96 points, Vinous:
"The 2021 Dirt Worshipper is impossible to ignore, blending incense with dried roses, white pepper, and exotic spice. This impresses with its elegance and grace, washing across the palate with silken textures and ripe red and black fruits as a wave of juicy acidity adds lift. Violet inner florals resonate throughout. It tapers off spicy and incredibly long, embraced by a coating of fine-grained tannins that tug at the senses as a resonance of clove lingers on. Simply spellbinding, this is unmistakably New World fruit, yet with an Old World soul."
"The 2021 Dirt Worshipper is impossible to ignore, blending incense with dried roses, white pepper, and exotic spice. This impresses with its elegance and grace, washing across the palate with silken textures and ripe red and black fruits as a wave of juicy acidity adds lift. Violet inner florals resonate throughout. It tapers off spicy and incredibly long, embraced by a coating of fine-grained tannins that tug at the senses as a resonance of clove lingers on. Simply spellbinding, this is unmistakably New World fruit, yet with an Old World soul."
95 points, Decanter:
"The Dirt Worshipper is...a fashionable red blend with bright floral aromatics, cranberry and black cherry fruit, and cedarwood spices. Medium to full-bodied, sporting a deep core of earthy minerals infused with red-berry fruits and intricate, woven tannins that build with a crescendo of brambly berry fruit to a finish marked by a firm spine of acidity and nuanced, expressive fine herbs, white pepper, clove, and dried rose petal florals. The intensity of the finish is downright exciting and surprising, leaving one immediately wanting another sip to see where it's going."
"The Dirt Worshipper is...a fashionable red blend with bright floral aromatics, cranberry and black cherry fruit, and cedarwood spices. Medium to full-bodied, sporting a deep core of earthy minerals infused with red-berry fruits and intricate, woven tannins that build with a crescendo of brambly berry fruit to a finish marked by a firm spine of acidity and nuanced, expressive fine herbs, white pepper, clove, and dried rose petal florals. The intensity of the finish is downright exciting and surprising, leaving one immediately wanting another sip to see where it's going."
Order the 2021 Denner Vineyards Dirt Worshipper between now and Wednesday, October 22nd, at 4 PM. Orders will be ready for pickup on Friday, October 24th, after 4 PM.
CHEERS!
ABV: 14.2%
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