Time flies, as this is the 26th release of DUMOL! I remember meeting Kerry Murphy way back when he started DuMOL and tasting through the first bottles of what has now turned into a real success story. The “Designated” releases are always something special, and this year is no different. Andy Smith rolled up his sleeves and put together an amazing selection of limited production wines.
With still lower than normal production levels this vintage will sell out in no time! The 2021 DuMol Designated Vineyards releases are turning out to be quite spectacular! I would say that several of these may be the best ever from this winery. Look for some rave reviews from the wine critics! As you know DuMOL is always in high demand, you can bet that this means the allocation will sell out quickly.
DuMOL 2021 Isobel Chardonnay – Charles Heintz VineyardSonoma Coast 100 Points
GGWC 89.99
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FMW 100 Points: “I would say that is the THE BEST Isobel, ever. The wine kicks off with intense aromatics of peaches, lemons, and a whiff of vanilla. On the palate, this wine offers up a lush, full, intense yet extremely elegant, and flavorful body that is laced with gorgeous fruit, a hint of minerality, and a silky, oily texture with the right balance of fruit and acid ratio. The wine reminds me of a top-notch White Burgundy (at a lower price). This 20th vintage from the Charles Heintz vineyard is one for the books!
Robert Parker 98+ Points: “The 2021 Chardonnay Isobel Charles Heintz Vineyard is the 20th bottling of a Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay at DuMOL. It was harvested September 25-27, matured in larger barrels, and finished with six months in stainless steel. “There are very few better vintages of this,” winemaker Andy Smith exclaims during our tasting, and I have to agree. It’s bursting with scents of matchstick, chamomile, Greek yogurt, and white peach, and over time, it unfurls unique spicy, herbal undertones. The palate is intensely concentrated, boasting expansive, dynamic flavors that segue from stone fruit to honey. Satiny and seamless, it has a tremendously long finish with a mind-altering depth of flavor. Fans of Burgundy will love it for its flinty tones, and fans of California for its concentration and power.”
TWI (Lisa Perotti-Brown) 98 Points: “The 2021 Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard Isobel is aged in 350-500 liter low-toast barrels, 25% of them new. After a swirl or two, notes of fresh nectarines, mandarin peel, and grapefruit emerge, leading to touches of honeysuckle, marzipan, and baking bread. The medium-bodied palate delivers electric-charged stone fruit and citrus flavors with a racy backbone and satiny texture, finishing long and zesty. The vineyard was planted in 1982, and this is DuMOL’s 20th vintage from here."
Winery Notes: “This is our twentieth vintage bottling Heintz and one of the elite vintages for quality and character. We’ve crafted so many memorable wines from these magical vines since I first set foot in the vineyard way back in 1998. The wines are incredibly distinctive, unlike anything else in Sonoma or California as a whole, and that’s down to the special vineyard site itself. High elevation, close to the ocean, long lingering fog influence, late-season ripening, and precise farming combine to give the fruit striking intensity and style. Classic Heintz aromas that are simultaneously exotic and focused: ginger and honey; lemongrass and sweet mint; chamomile and sea spray. Intense lemon and lime oil dominate the flavors with green apples and taut minerals. The texture is deep and layered with tremendous volume and fruit extract. The wine’s vibrant acidity lifts this richness adding tension and freshness. Long echo of savory botanical intensity and lingering flinty edge.”
DuMOL 2021 Chloe ChardonnayRussian River Valley 96 Points
GGWC 79.99
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Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points: “Pouring a bright medium yellow/straw hue, the 2021 Chardonnay Chloe is highly expressive, with a golden perfume of pineapple, orange oil, and a bit of honeysuckle. It has full body and a rounded texture, with ripe apricot, hazelnut, and white flowers. A lusher personality to drink over the next ten years, it’s a bit more open at this youthful stage.”
Wine Enthusiast 96 Points: “Balanced to a T, this fascinating wine matches ripe and rich poached pear and golden apple flavors with a vein of lemony acidity that keeps it refreshing sip after sip. It's medium to full in body. Best through 2030.“
Winemaker Notes: “Our 2021 Chloe Chardonnay continues the theme started in 2019 – a focus upon central Russian River Valley vineyards grown on lean red gravelly soils on the east bank of the Russian River itself. These neighboring sites – Flora Marie & El Diablo – naturally produce rich broad wines with power and concentration. It’s important to harvest them quite early before the character becomes too exotic. We underpin this richness with a high acidity citrus-driven block from our coastal Bressay Estate which adds length and precision to the final blend. The combination is immediately expressive with power, breadth and chewy depth, yet bristles with energy and freshness. This is the designate Chardonnay to open first for its early pleasure, while waiting for the sharper coastal wines to find their pace. . Aromas of tangerine, orange and honey are offset with flint, mint and oyster shell notes. The wine is deep, intense, long and focused with great volume. Layered flavors akin to peach, nectarine and candied ginger build through the palate. There’s an oily texture that’s cut by vibrant acidity and the finish lingers with fine detail and enveloping power.”
DuMOL 2021 Ryan Pinot Noir – Russian River Valley 97 PointsGGWC 99.99
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Robert Parker 97 Points: “The 2021 Pinot Noir Ryan has a medium ruby color and autumnal scents of truffle and forest floor, cinnamon and Earl Grey tea leaves complementing a core of wild berry fruit. (In 2021, the wine comes from the Dutton-Jentoft and Widdoes vineyards rather than 100% from Jentoft as in previous vintages.) The medium-bodied palate is supple and detailed with a concentrated core of mineral-driven fruit. It has a silky texture, energetic acidity and a long, layered finish. This is so delicious and very easy to drink!
TWI (Lisa Perotti-Brown) 97 Points: “The 2021 Pinot Noir Ryan is a blend of two Dutton Ranch Vineyards, 56% Widdoes and 44% Jentoft. No whole-cluster fermentation was used. Medium ruby-purple in color, it pops from the glass with evocative, classic scents of black cherries, boysenberries, and pomegranate with suggestions of red roses, forest floor, and cinnamon toast. The medium-bodied palate is seductively plush and juicy, laden with expressive red and black berry layers, finishing long and pure”
Winemaker Notes: “Our first vintage of Ryan Pinot Noir was 2002 and it featured Dutton-Widdoes Vineyard at its core. This vineyard is one of the earliest plantings in Green Valley – 1984. At that time the vineyards were wide spaced, planted without irrigation and grown on a trellis that shaded the fruit. Now, all these years later we have hardy, experienced vines that have pretty much seen everything, and in these days of climatic extremes, these deep-rooted vines can tolerate drought and heat without issue. The fruit is uniquely characterful – wild berries, rich umami/truffle notes, underbrushy/woodsy complexity. When we layer in some bright coastal Jentoft fruit, the blend comes alive and infuses every corner of your palate. I’ve always loved that first 2002 Ryan bottling and this new vintage takes me back to our earlier DuMOL days. A wine for reflection. The aromatics highlight the essence of our coastal Green Valley environment: wild berries, thyme, spearmint, truffle and freshly tilled soil. The wine is poised, vibrant and dynamic with a dark fruit pastille core then cherry, licorice, and briary notes. Concentrated and deep but always bright and quite tight knit with drawn out length and fresh focusing acidity on a spicy finish. “
DuMOL 2021 Estate Pinot Noir – Russian River Valley 98 PointsGGWC 104.99
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Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points: “Deep but transparent ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir DuMOL Estate V
ineyard is brooding with pine, pure black cherry, and licorice aromas. Medium to full-bodied, it offers bright acidity, ripe warming spice, and pure fruit, with notes of clove and mossy earth floating underneath. Drink 2025-2045.”
Robert Paker 98 Points: “The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard comes from Swan and Calera selection vines planted in 2004, and it is exceptionally expressive and energetic this vintage. It gains aromatic intensity as it airs in the glass, blossoming from red cherry and Italian plum to allspice, Campari, licorice and hibiscus. The medium-bodied palate is chalky and refreshing, its power derived from highly concentrated fruit, and it boasts a flourish of ultra spicy accents across the long finish.”
Vinous 98 Points: “The 2021 Pinot Noir DuMOL Estate Vineyard is another magnificent wine in this range. Dark and explosive, the 2021 is packed with black cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice, new leather and spice. There's real density, but it is the wine's explosive energy I admire most. Magnificent. “
TWI 97 Points: “The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard is a blend of Calera and Swan clones with a little 943. Pale to medium ruby purple in color, it rolls effortlessly out of the glass with fragrant notes of wild strawberries, kirsch, and lilacs, followed by hints of dried sage and cracked black pepper with a waft of damp soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with red berry and floral flavors, framed by velvety tannins and beautiful freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick.“
Winemaker Notes: "Our original DuMOL Estate Vineyard consists of eight separate blocks spanning its nine acres. Of these blocks we’ve identified superior quality from three specific parcels. The first two feature sandy/silty soils and face east. Here we find lifted aromatics, lovely fruit purity and taut acidity. The third parcel has less sand and more clay and has a slight western tilt. The wine here is more muscular, darker fruited with more tannin. One of the core tenets of terroir winegrowing is establishing consistency in vine selection from year to year and identifying unique sub-plots that have something specific, intriguing and high quality to express. And that’s exactly what we have here – a wine of pure expression, deeply connected to the vines themselves, dynamic and vibrant with depth and elegance in equal measure. Terroir signatures abound. Clearly, as one would expect, one of the wines of the vintage.
Soaring aromatic complexity: dark berry fruits, hibiscus, minerals and herbal/floral notes. With air the wine turns to red fruits and herbal/woodsy characters and the wine’s drawn-out length takes hold. “
DuMOL 2021 Eddie’s Patch Syrah – Russian River Valley 96 PointsGGWC 99.99
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Robert Parker 96 Points: “The 2021 Syrah Eddie's Patch was vinified with about 30% whole bunches and matured in about 25% new 300- and 500-liter barrels. Deep ruby in color, it has classic aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry, mint chocolate, juniper, grilled meats and graphite. The full-bodied palate is concentrated yet light on its feet with its energetic acidity and rounded tannins, and all that freshness draws out its floral perfume on the long finish. I love this elegant style that offers generosity with restrained ripeness.”
Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points: “Saturated purple with a ruby tinge, the 2021 Syrah Eddie's Patch is lifted with cracked black pepper, fresh violets, blackberry, and a hint of wet asphalt. This full-bodied red has ripe, fleshy, mouth-coating fruit, with black raspberry preserve, ripe tannins, and a velvety texture. It’s long on the palate and has a rounded feel, with an underlying structure and earthy notes of tea leaves. Drink 2025-2040.”
Winemaker Notes: “In our cool coastal climate, Syrah ripens and is harvested almost a full month later than Pinot Noir. That extra month on the vine can allow the fruit to steadily accumulate an incredible kaleidoscopic range of aromas and flavors so long as we can avoid damaging heat spikes that dampen terroir expression and diminish the wine’s vibrancy. Fortunately in 2021 we luxuriated in relaxed warm days and cool nights, and so we have a wine that combines everything we love about mountain-grown Syrah – wonderfully complex swirling aromatics, deep layered fruit intensity, and broad mouth filling structure. Our new vintage of Eddie’s Patch is one of our finest, certainly in an elite group alongside 2016 and 2019 in recent memory. True to the vintage, it’s a wine that will drink well young, but can be aged for fifteen years to allow subtle maturity to temper the wine’s youthful power. Aromatically nuanced and diverse – fresh lavender, black olive, intense floral violet and deep blueberry and cassis fruits. Despite the wine’s obvious intensity and concentration, it remains discreet and elegant – its core of blackberry pastille is wrapped up by savory characters and mineral accents. Juniper and black pepper notes emerge. There’s a lilting feeling to the wine’s center – it’s deep and concentrated but always restrained. Tannins are sleek and polished and present an energetic finish.“
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