And I couldn’t get past the third round. But Wallace, with his colorful, silly, charismatic personality, was in everyone’s eye from the start, eventually beating out 2,000 other candidates to win the party.
After nearly 14 years, he and his wife, Kate Graham, are preparing to open Extra Dimension Wine Co. – Brand New Tasting Room in Sonoma Plaza – It’s hard to imagine Wallace as one of the world’s first social media influencers.
While remaining his infectious energy and originality, Wallace’s role as influencer shifted dramatically in 2010 when he embraced winemaking, a move that eventually led him to create one of California’s most innovative wine labels, Dirty & Rowdy Wine Co.
Focusing primarily on the multiple personalities of single vineyards and the leather-touch sémillon, Dirty & Rowdy gained such popularity that even Wallace was surprised, especially when the sommelier from the three-Michelin-star Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca showed up at his house and asked to try his wine.
In 2021, Dirty & Rowdy disbands when Wallace and former business partner Matt Richardson decide to part ways. For the first time in 12 years, Wallace took a step back and assessed his future in the wine industry.
“Kate and I took some time to regroup and ask ourselves what really interests us and what might make sense for a new wine brand,” said Wallace. “One of the things we kept talking about was weather and climate change. Some of the vineyards we worked with were struggling to ripen while others were ripening very quickly, and the fruit was losing all its acidity. So it became more of a risk to focus on the morpheder of a single vineyard. If you I want to make balanced wines with structure and energy in the future, so I have to start blending.
For a winemaker focused primarily on single-variety wines, making the decision to blend wasn’t one he took lightly, but one that encouraged him – especially when he started thinking outside the box.
Instead of creating traditional wine blends—the marriage of varietals from the same geographic region—Wallace decided to create the balance his own way.
“Following traditional wine blending schemes just didn’t make sense to me. I’d do more of the same,” Wallace said. and flavors and acid profiles. I began to wonder how I could blend it together in a meaningful way. So I thought, why don’t we mix things up and see what happens?
This decision became a shining moment for Wallace. Once he started experimenting with the unconventional mixes, he says it was like “opening a box of wonder and joy”.
“I started realizing that the wine I could make had the potential to be better than anything I had made in the past, and that was very exciting,” Wallace said. “Not only that, but it will allow us to navigate the challenges of climate change in an amazing way. Winemakers continue to look for cooler vineyards, but if we blend varietals we can do the dance with warmer temperatures and not have to rely on additives like water or acid.” Tartaric to make a balanced wine.
But Wallace is quick to point out that his process does not involve dumping a bunch of items into a tank and hoping for the best. Sometimes it takes weeks of experimentation and up to 100 different blends to find the right one.
The result is an extraordinary collection of thought-provoking wines that demand exploration with each subsequent sip.
wines
At Extra Dimension Wine Co. Yes!, Wallace continues his love affair with ancient vineyards in the nooks and crannies of California, sourcing fruit from more than 15 appellations across the state.
The 2022 Full King Crab II ($45), a graceful blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Rossan, Marsand and leather-fermented Viogniers, is electric with acidity, underpinned by the aromas of Chenin Blanc and white Rhone varietals.
The 2021 Nightlight Red ($47) is a delicious marriage of 130-year-old Contra Costa vines with Carignan from a 100-year-old vineyard in the Redwood Valley and Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley.
“The morpheder was very deep, black and intense that year, but it didn’t have any of the brightness we needed,” Wallace said. So a little bit of carrageenan and zinfandel allowed the wine to keep those dark, savory characters while bringing a little bit of nightlight into the mix. They don’t light up the whole room, but you know they’re there.
My personal favorite is the 2022 Marvelous Mourvèdre ($55), which is rounded out at 10% bombshell and 5% carrageenan. Obviously, she’s a Wallace favourite, too.
Wallace, who has been working on the variety since its first harvest in 2010, said: “I consider Mourvedder my spirit animal. It’s very firm and thick, but it can also be subtle and subtle. It offers that beautiful range of flavors and nuances that can make the best of the best. The rosy wines of the world but also the deep, dark wines in the style of Bandole.I like to think that Marvelous Mourvèdre offers all the flavors of Mourvèdre’s poetry.
outer space
Located just off the square in downtown Sonoma, Extra Dimension Wine Co.’s tasting room offers… Yes, a bright, warm aesthetic with comfortable seating that invites conversation. The showpiece of the room is a mural designed by illustrator Brian Steely (@briansteely), the famous party label designer who also creates the brand’s wine labels.
The 90-minute wine tasting ($40) includes five wines and is available by appointment. Entrances are subject to availability. Wallace also plans to offer unique tasting experiences once a week, including wines paired with food or aromas.
As for the name “Extra Wine Company. Yes!”, Wallace explains:
“Extra dimensions mean ‘outside the known universe’ and that’s what Kate and I feel like we’re doing here,” he said. “We’re going to go outside of the well-known California wine world to create these new blends and craft the best we can.”
As for “Yeah!”, the former drummer, Wallace, said he loved the beat.
“It shows that we’re really doing something out of the box, not just with the wine, but also with our labels and even the name. I think what we’re doing is very different here.”
You can contact author Sarah Doyle at 707-521-5478 or sarah.doyle@pressdemocrat.com. on Twitter @whiskeymuse.