Winemaker Notes
Aromas and flavors of white nectarine, peach, and apricot, alongside honeysuckle, ginger, and beeswax notes. There’s a line of rich lemon curd that develops as the wine opens. It’s immediately opulent and broad, with obvious concentration and depth that resonates through to a long, chewy finish. Lively acidity allows the wine’s character to gently linger. Drink between 2026 and 2034.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2024 Chardonnay Chloe is a blend of Flora Maria and Bressay. A wine of density and texture, the Chloe augments the riper and more generous style of the year, amplified by the natural breadth conferred by clay-rich volcanic soils. All the elements are so well balanced. Citrus confit, chamomile, tangerine oil and lightly honeyed notes abound.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2024 Chardonnay Chloe blends 45% fruit from the top of the vineyard with the remainder from Eastside Road. Peach, apricot, citrus length, silky hazelnut, and Damy oak texture all emerge beautifully with excellent viscosity and drive.
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James Suckling
A delicate, medium-bodied wine, showing aromas of yellow and white peaches. This has a nice balance of generosity and tension, with a pleasing weight on the midpalate and crisp, textural acidity that carries flavors of nectarines and wet stones. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2024 Chardonnay Chloe comes from the Flora Marie Vineyard (55%) and Dumol's Bressay Estate Vineyard (45%). It has youthfully shy aromas of flint, spice, oyster shell and saline. The full-bodied palate surprises with its satiny texture and expansive, honeyed flavors. It’s balanced by bright, bursting acidity and has a very long, spicy finish. It will benefit from a few years in the cellar. 1,000 cases were made.
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Wine Spectator
Firm and toasty, with plenty of cedar, nutmeg and cardamom notes up front. Peach, mango and melon flavors emerge, finding balance, along with candied ginger, honeyed almond and tangerine elements that are supported by fresh acidity.
Respect for the land
DuMOL is a “vineyard up” winery with a fully integrated approach to winegrowing and winemaking. DuMOL planted its high-density estate vineyards and has farmed many of California’s most renowned vineyards for more than two decades.
Commitment to craft
DuMOL sticks to what works and is focused on the fundamentals, finding inspiration in master, visionary producers around the world as DuMOL continually hones its craft—never imitating, ever refining.
Connected on a personal level
This is a project that comes from who the DuMOL team is and what they love. A deep connection is paramount: to the land, the wines, and the customers.
Heritage and experience
Founded in 1996, DuMOL is a latter-day pioneer in the Russian River Valley. Winemaker, Viticulturist and Partner, Andy Smith, farmed the region for nearly a decade before joining in 1999, and Associate Winemakers Julie Cooper and Jenna Davis, and Cellar Master Jaime Eufracio, have over 40 years combined experience at DuMOL.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.