Something dirty and rowdy this way comes.

If there’s a single migratory pattern worth mentioning since the last US census, it would have to be renegade wine bloggers moving west to stake claims in the wine business. Whether in wine writing, social media, or winemaking, there are plenty of fresh faces and interesting projects.

And if one person blazed the trail, it would have to be Hardy Wallace. From the Dirty South Wine blog, to high profile social media work with wineries, to finding a home championing and then making minimal-intervention “natural” wine, Hardy’s smiling face and genuinely enthusiastic (yet sarcastic) wit have become something of a personal brand. All of this has culminated with the first release of Dirty and Rowdy Family Winery, a partnership of Hardy and fellow Atlanta ex-pat and food blogger/videographer Matt Richardson.

Their winery features aesthetics more akin to an indie rock band than a winery. A surreal cartoon involving a leopard, snake, weedwhacker and hedge clippers adorns the label. Artsy still life photos of people and winery scenes and iron skillet fried chicken are prominent on a website proclaiming them as “America’s #1 Winery.” As a Generation X’er informed by the counter-cultural and subversive aesthetics of 80’s hardcore punk, these are all things that I enjoy and appreciate. It’s kitschy and clever without undermining the integrity of the winery.

As for the wine, the varietals are Sémillon and Mourvedré. The first release features a 2011 Semillon from the Gamble Vineyard in Yountville in Napa Valley, and a pair of Mourvedré wines (2010 and 2011) from the Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard in a remote eastern corner of Santa Barbara County.

I opened a bottle of the 2011 Dirty and Rowdy Sémillon, Yountville,Napa Valley ($28) to pair with rosemary roasted chicken. This is from valley floor silt soils. Fermentation was divided into to two native fermentations, one taking place in concrete egg and the other on the skins in open-top fermenters. Aging took place in neutral French oak.

In the glass the maceration on the skins showed in the rich and cloudy gold color. The bouquet presented a mélange of interesting expressions – running the gamut from dried floral, to white pepper & herb, to mushroom & earth, to frommage and then to citrus zest. Complex but wound tightly. It was surprisingly rich on the palate considering the low alcohol (+/- 12.5%), with crisp freshness along with mineral and earthy highlights accenting the floral fruit and spice. It had that nicely weighted gliding thing going on throughout the palate before finishing with fine tannin. Rich and complex and structured are the keys here.

This is serious Sémillon. If you ever pine for aged Hunter Valley Sémillon then sock this baby away for a bit and let it unfold- this could satisfy that urge. Or just open it and let it breathe and enjoy – it’s beautiful stuff, and an exciting new addition to the new wave of California wine.