Russian River Valley

The DuMOL winery was founded in 1996 and is focused on crafting highly nuanced, vineyard-focused Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from distinctive sites in the cool-climate Russian River Valley. Winegrower and Partner Andy Smith leads a small and experienced team at DuMOL, where they craft wines with depth, clarity and elegance through attention to detail in the vineyards and vintage-specific winegrowing.

DuMOL believes the best fertilizer is the footsteps of the farmer and is dedicated to a portfolio of estate and grower-partner vineyards primarily within a 16-kilometre radius. Expanding upon twenty-five years of experience, DuMOL also grows and produces some small-lot Syrahs, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, and Mencía from some of the most impressive vineyards in Sonoma and Napa. The full DuMOL portfolio is released through allocations to the mailing list, with select wines distributed to top restaurants worldwide. In the UK, the wines are distributed to the on and off trade by Raeburn Fine Wines and I recently caught up with Andy Smith to taste through the spectacular current releases.

“The 2022s were lighter styled wines initially that really put on weight during elevage.” – Andy Smith

DuMOL Chardonnay Highland Divide 2022, Russian River Valley, 14% Abv.

A rich opulent and expressive aromatics generously offering sweet lemon cordial, toasted pistachios, pecan pie, honey and salted caramel notes. Full, broad and fleshy on the palate with immediate concentration intensity, smokey wet stone minerality, grilled nuts, yellow grapefruit confit and toasted vanilla pod spice on the finish. Impressively fresh, tangy and picante. Drink now to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

DuMOL Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard Isobel 2022, Sonoma Coast, 13.5% Abv.

Rich expressive aromatics with a toasty, brûléed aromatics with sappy spicy oak, pithy lemon peel, gravelly minerality and dry roasted nuts. The palate is taut and tightly wound but still offers up notable depth and concentration, spicy lemon confit, vanilla pod spice, and dried herbs, finishing with elegance, harmony and poise. Drink now to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

DuMOL Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard 2022, Carneros – Napa Valley, 13.5% Abv.

A very complex aromatics offering up complex notes of sweet tangy lemon, smoky yellow stone fruits, salted toffee, green tea and a delicate vanilla pod kiss. Beautiful weight of fruit greets the palate with a creamy, plush, harmonious breadth of glycerol fruit, lemon oil, white peach, crystallised green apples and salted pistachios. This is undoubtedly a profound, layered, complex glass of very fine cool climate Chardonnay that makes absolutely no effort to hide its obvious greatness. Simply superb. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

DuMOL Pinot Noir Highland Divide 2022, Russian River Valley, 13.5% Abv.

A beautifully seductive, perfumed Pinot Noir nose brimming with musk, rose petals and lilac fragrance alongside sweet earthy red currant berry fruit, red plum, bramble berries and blood orange. A seemless entry makes way for a broad, silky, sensual mouthfeel boasting saline red and tart black berry notes, raspberry herbal tea, pomegranate and vibrant yet harmonious ruby grapefruit depth that lingers on a cool, finessed finish. This has classy Pinot written all over it! Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

DuMOL Pinot Noir Macintyre Estate Vineyard 2022, Sonoma Coast, 13.5% Abv.

The aromatics display a beautifully elegant restrained intensity, offering up subtlety and delicacy. There are soft touch aromatics of sun dried cranberry, red cherry, bramble berries and pomegranate with a subtle savoury bresaola hint. The palate reveals a regal structure and power, stony mineral tannins over fine grained, taut, spicy black fruits, supported by the most seamlessly integrated acids. The start and finish are hard to define. Simply beautiful, serious Pinot Noir. Drink now to 2040.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

DuMOL Pinot Noir Bressay Estate Vineyard 2022, Sonoma Coast, 13.5% Abv.

This cuvee shows a decidedly sweeter fruit aromatics full of red currant, earthy red plum, and ripe pomegranate notes. Fruit forward and opulent, the palate follows with pristinely pure red and black berry fruits, silky mineral tannins and a long, exotic Asian five spice finish. The ripe, slightly sappy red fruited aromatics marry well with a delicately smoky, stony textured palate with great persistence, elegance and length. Very impressive.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

DuMOL Pinot Noir Finn 2022, Russian River Valley, 13.5% Abv.

The initial reaction to nosing this wine is its obvious restraint and classicism. The aromatics are deeper and darker with lovely savoury bramble berry fruits, cured meats, blood orange, citrus oil and subtle pomegranate nuances. The palate shows a fine tension and structure with a subtle line of salinity and a vibrantly tart underlying acidity. The palate balance is notable, the tannins tightly interwoven into a classically restrained broody savoury fruit profile. Plenty of depth on display here, making for a very serious expression. Drink 2026 to 2040.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

DuMOL Meteor Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Coombsville, Napa Valley, 14.5% Abv.

This is a classy Cabernet Sauvignon fully loaded with sweet tobacco, black chai tea, cocoa, black currant and black cherry kirsch nuances. The texture is full and mouth-filling, but also beautifully silky, supple and creamy revealing all the power, minerality and spice you’d hope for but all supported by a seamlessly harmonious red and black berry fruit intensity. A finely honed wine with balance, elegance and poise. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

There is Chardonnay and then there’s Ramey Chardonnay! After Ramey Cellars decided not to renew one of their single vineyard grower contracts, the Rochioli Vineyard was chosen to bolster their prestigious single vineyard portfolio of premium Ramey Chardonnays.

Due for release in the USA in August 2018, the 2015 Chardonnay Rochioli Blend was 85% from Mid-40 Block, clones 4 (planted 1995), and 76 (planted 1995 & 1998), with the remaining 15% being a combination of River block (clone 5 planted in 1989) and Allen Vineyard (clone 76 planted in 2001 and 2005), which the Rochioli family have farmed for many years. The soils here are Yolo sandy loam and overwash, derived from sedimentary formations in an alluvial fan.

Winter 2015 was the warmest on record, resulting in early bud break. Cooler, wetter weather in Spring months slowed development leading to a challenging extended bloom period. The resulting uneven fruit set translated into a small crop with small berries with very concentrated flavours, harvested on the 22nd to 24th August at 23.1 brix.

Ramey utilised whole cluster pressing, native yeast fermentation and full malolactic fermentation in barrel with sur lies batonnage. After 20 months in 23% new French Francois Frères barrels, this wine was lightly fined and settled in tank before bottling without filtration. Only 747 cases were produced.

Ramey Rochioli Vineyard 2015, Russian River Valley, California

Like the best Ramey wines, this Chardonnay combines delicious lemon citrus aromatics, subtle toasty oak and suductive minerality in a most complete package. Plenty of Burgundian influence, intensity and concentration make for a very, very fine Chardonnay and definitely an inspired addition to the iconic Ramey range. But I guess when you make wines as premium as the Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay, any decision to add a new vineyard to the range is going to be based on supreme quality potential. This wine has such depth, bristling lemony / limey acids and a long, long finish with just the most subtle kiss of butterscotch oak. Wow, I’m bowled over by this profound, delicious beauty. Drink from release until 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)