DuMOL Heintz Vineyard Isobel Chardonnay 2017
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pungent lemon curd, honeycomb and ginger aromas open the wine as lemon verbena and white flower blossom notes add intrigue. The oily glycerol intensity is immediate on the palate with grapefruit, lemongrass and a hint of tropical fruit leading to a round and full mid-palate before saline oyster shell acidity takes hold. The exotic tangy citrus oil finish is mouthwatering and long.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2017 Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard Isobel, one of the standouts in the lineup. Named after winemaker Andy Smith’s daughter and from a site far out on the Sonoma Coast, it has a beautifully rich, layered, textured style as well as impressive notes of white peach, white flowers, and honeysuckle. With plenty of fruit, an awesome texture, great balance, and a singular character, it will be better in another year and I suspect will keep for upwards of a decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Isobel Charles Heintz Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1982. It was barrel fermented and aged 12 months on the lees in 300-liter Atelier hogsheads, 33% new. It features scents of ripe white peach, red apple skin, crushed stone, toast and spiced yellow apples. It's light to medium-bodied, precise and minerally in the mouth with citrus peel touches, laser acidity and a long, textured finish.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
The pick as the best of a very fine bunch from DuMOL, the 2017 Isobel is also the one that has the most potential for cellaring. It is intensely fruity, decked out with lovely, very deftly fit oak and graced by notes of sweet, toasted grains, and it is charged with plenty of youthful verve. Although it is still a touch tight and not quite as expansive at this point in its life as it is certain to be with age, its fruity depth and nascent richness, its exemplary balance and its marvelous palatal length tag it as a top-shelf Chardonnay that is guaranteed to evolve handsomely for a half-decade or more.
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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.