Winemaker Notes
The wine’s aromas and flavors are incredibly complex and diverse, akin to citrus oil, preserved lemon, sage, fennel and caraway. The wine is deep, powerful, and layered with oyster shell freshness cutting through the natural density. Lemongrass, spearmint, and grapefruit power the finish, which pulsates with intensity. You could decant this for an hour before serving to hasten its development.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From a site surrounded by dense forest on two sides, the 2022 Chardonnay DuMOL Estate Vineyard is a bright straw hue and has a more vibrant aromatic nose of fresh mint, bright lime, flint, crushed stones, and white peach. Medium to full-bodied, it boasts a remarkably firm structure with a bit of tannin, a chalky texture, and a savory slanting profile, and it’s long and persistent on the finish. It has an assertive but crystalline feel and a crunchy brightness. It demands a bit of time. Drink 2025-2035.
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James Suckling
Fresh aromas of sage, thyme, lemon curd and green apples. Medium-bodied with balance and verve. It’s minerally at the end with refinement, balance and al dente fruit. A gorgeous and transparent wine.
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Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay DuMOL Estate Vineyard is a heady, extroverted wine. Orchard fruit, tangerine peel, spice, mint, baked apple tart and strong floral overtones soar from the glass. This mid-weight, dynamic Chardonnay is long on energy and complexity. Aeration brings out lovely textural resonance.
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Wine Spectator
Succulent, juicy and mouthwatering at the core, with generosity to the peach, lemon curd, lemon oil and sweetgrass aromatics. Offers wild fennel and orange blossom accents, plus a touch of dried mango, along with vibrant acidity that leaves a lasting impression. Drink now through 2034.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Grapes for the 2022 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard were harvested well before the Labor Day heat wave on August 25. It's soft and delicate on the nose at this early stage, giving up wafts of lemon peel, acacia, matchstick and wet stone. The palate is silky and refreshing, though it boasts deeply concentrated flavors. It becomes more detailed and perfumed as it spends time in the glass, and a pleasing touch of phenolic grip drives a long finish. It will benefit from bottle time.
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 vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.